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3. Israeli Official Describes Israel-Syria Negotiations as "Positive"

An Israeli source on Tuesday described the atmosphere of negotiations between Israel and Syria in Paris as positive, though sources briefed on the talks said it would fall far short of a full peace treaty.

Axios quoted an Israeli official as saying that Syria and Israel expressed their desire to reach a security agreement within the framework of U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision. The two sides also agreed during the Paris meetings to accelerate negotiations and take confidence-building measures.

The source also noted that Israel insisted during the Paris talks on remaining on the summit of Mount Hermon, while Syria demanded a full Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory, the reactivation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, and to halt Israeli air strikes and ground incursions into Syria. Reportedly, talks did not address the status of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized in a 1967 war. A Syrian source familiar with Damascus's position said it would be left "for the future."

Israeli Hesitancy

Several Israeli sources have revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not particularly enthusiastic about the negotiations. This is due to Syria’s insistence on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all areas occupied after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, as well as the removal of nine military positions and checkpoints established in southern Syria, according to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

Reportedly, Netanyahu does not hide his rejection of the demands from Damascus, which the U.S. administration considers “reasonable.”

U.S. Pressure

Israeli sources confirmed that the negotiations taking place in Paris were held after pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump on both Israel and Syria, with the aim of reaching an agreement that would lead to stability along the border. This could represent a first step toward the future normalization of relations between the two countries, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

Washington is pushing for enough progress to be made by the time world leaders gather in New York for the U.N. General Assembly at the end of this month to allow President Donald Trump to announce a breakthrough, sources told Reuters.

The Israeli delegation that met yesterday with the Syrian delegation consisted of Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter; Netanyahu’s military secretary, Roman Gofman; the nominee for head of the Mossad; and the acting head of Israel’s National Security Council, Gil Reich.