The American news site Axios reported, citing “two informed sources,” that Israel submitted a detailed proposal to Syria several weeks ago for a new security agreement, including a “map of demilitarized zones” stretching “from Damascus to the border with Israel.”
According to Axios on Tuesday, September 16, Syria has not yet responded to the Israeli proposal, as Damascus has been working in recent weeks to prepare a counteroffer.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer are scheduled to discuss the proposal today, Wednesday, in London, alongside US envoy Thomas Barrack, who is mediating between the two countries.
This will be the third such trilateral meeting. Sources familiar with the talks said progress is being made, though no imminent agreement appears likely.
Syrian military withdrawal in the south
Meanwhile, Syria has begun withdrawing heavy weapons from the south as part of efforts to reach an understanding with Israel, according to unnamed officials cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday.
A military official told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that “Syrian forces have pulled their heavy weapons out of southern Syria,” adding that the process began about two months ago, following the events in Suwayda (southern Syria).
A diplomatic source in Damascus, also speaking anonymously, said the withdrawal extended across southern Syria up to about 10 kilometers (six miles) outside the capital.
Proposal details
The Israeli proposal, according to Axios, is modeled on the 1979 Camp David peace treaty with Egypt, which divided the Sinai Peninsula into three zones (A, B, and C), each with varying security arrangements and levels of demilitarization depending on its proximity to the Israeli border.
The demands were described by the site as “extreme,” requiring Syria to accept a wide demilitarized area, a no-fly zone over its territory, and no changes on the Israeli side of the border.
Under the proposal, southwest of Damascus would be divided into “three zones,” allowing Syrian forces to maintain different levels of troops and weapons depending on the area.
The proposal reportedly includes:
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Expanding the buffer zone on the Syrian side by 2 kilometers.
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Prohibiting military forces and heavy weapons in the strip adjacent to the buffer zone and closest to the Israeli border, while permitting police and internal security forces.
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Designating the entire area from southwest Damascus to the Israeli border as a no-fly zone for Syrian aircraft.
One source noted that the “central principle” of the Israeli proposal is to preserve an “air corridor” to Iran via Syria, which would allow Israel to carry out potential future strikes against Iran.
Syrian government stance
An official source in the Syrian government told Qatar’s Al Jazeera channel on Wednesday, September 17, that no security deal with Israel can be discussed without a withdrawal to pre–December 8 positions (before the fall of the Assad regime).
The source stressed that any security arrangement must be based on the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, ensuring Syria’s sovereignty and addressing Israel’s “repeated threats.”
According to Axios, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is interested in arranging a meeting with Transitional Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly later this month, though an Israeli official described the chances of this happening as “slim.”
Speaking to the state-run al-Ikhbariyah TV channel on September 12, President al-Sharaa was asked about the possibility of a meeting or renewed negotiations with Israel during his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly. He replied, “We have not discussed these details, but it might happen.”
Al-Sharaa is attending the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the first Syrian president to do so since 1967, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on September 10.
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