Syria Seeks Israel Security Deal, Holds Firm on Golan
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- Ahmed al-Sharaa told Al Jazeera on July 27, 2026, that Syria is seeking a security deal with Israel that could lead to comprehensive peace without compromising Syria's right to the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967 and annexed in 1981.
- Sharaa said Syria is assembling a broad coalition of countries to pressure Israel toward 'a more balanced policy' and stressed 'we are avoiding getting into confrontations.'
- After Bashar al-Assad's fall in December 2024, Israeli troops pushed into a demilitarized zone inside Syria including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon overlooking Damascus, and have since launched strikes and detained individuals within the country.
- On July 26, 2026, Israeli forces shelled Syrian areas and destroyed an electrical transformer in the village of Maariyah, cutting power to homes, according to state news agency SANA.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on his first visit to Syria by a UN chief since 2009, declared that 'Violations by Israel of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement are unacceptable & must stop.'
- Sharaa said his government is 'not considering military interventions' in Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah fought on the opposing side of Syria's civil war.
- Earlier in 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke to Sharaa about combating Hezbollah, after criticizing Israel for killing too many civilians in Lebanon.
Why it matters: This marks the most concrete diplomatic opening between Syria and Israel since Assad's fall, with Sharaa conditioning talks on retaining the Golan claim while Israeli forces continue daily military operations inside Syrian territory. The UN's first chief-level Syria visit since 2009 adds international pressure on Israel to honor the 1974 disengagement agreement it is currently violating.
