Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, September 23, Barrack described the agreement as a first step toward the broader security deal the two countries are negotiating.
Syria and Israel are holding talks aimed at securing an arrangement that Damascus hopes will ensure an end to Israeli airstrikes and the withdrawal of Israeli forces that have pushed into southern Syria, Reuters reported.
Barrack noted that US President Donald Trump had sought to broker a deal between the two sides to be announced this week, but insufficient progress had been made, and the Jewish New Year holiday slowed the process. He added that the agreement would mark a victory for Trump’s administration.
Barrack said, “I believe everyone is approaching this in good faith,”
Al-Sharaa urges Israeli withdrawal
For his part, Syria’s transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa said that Israel has carried out numerous attacks on Syria and continues to occupy the Golan Heights while making incursions into Syrian territory. But Syria, he stressed, seeks to avoid war as it enters a phase of rebuilding.
During a panel at the Concordia Summit in New York on September 22, al-Sharaa said, “We are heading toward de-escalation to give Syria a chance to rebuild. If calm prevails and Israel adheres to any agreement, negotiations may advance.”
He held a dialogue with retired US General David Petraeus, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), at the Concordia Summit held on the sidelines of the UN meetings, discussing Syria’s transitional phase and Damascus’ international relations.
Al-Sharaa called on Israel to withdraw from Syrian territory, saying security concerns could be addressed through negotiations. He explained that Damascus is negotiating in stages, beginning with a security agreement that would restore adherence to the 1974 disengagement accord.
If the security agreement succeeds, Damascus would move on to discuss broader issues, including the fate of the occupied Golan Heights and the long-term relationship between Syria and Israel, al-Sharaa added.
Some progress in talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel is conducting talks with Syria’s transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa, acknowledging “some progress,” though he described it as still “a vision for the future.”
At a cabinet meeting on September 21, reported by Israel’s Channel 13, Netanyahu said Israel’s “victories” over Hezbollah in Lebanon “opened a window for the possibility of peace with our northern neighbors,” referring to Syria.
“We eliminated the threat of Iranian nuclear bombs intended to destroy us, as well as tens of thousands of ballistic missiles Iran had planned to produce within a few years. We also struck all parts of the Iranian axis in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Gaza, and even inside Iran itself,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that a potential security agreement between Israel and Syria would represent a major breakthrough and could pave the way for further agreements, possibly even normalization.
The agreement under negotiation would replace the 1974 disengagement accord, deemed obsolete after the collapse of Assad’s regime and Israel’s takeover of the buffer zone, according to the channel.
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