Axios: Netanyahu asks the United States to mediate negotiations with Syria
Axios website reported on Wednesday evening that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack of his desire to negotiate with the Syrian government through US mediation, a move that could pave the way for an updated security agreement and a comprehensive peace treaty between the two countries.
Axios quoted Israeli officials as saying that these talks would be the first of their kind between Israel and Syria since 2011, when the Netanyahu government began communicating with Damascus indirectly through exchanges of messages via intermediaries and then secret meetings in third countries.
An Israeli official explained that Netanyahu seeks to capitalize on the momentum generated by the meeting between former US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa to initiate direct negotiations with Syria.
The goal is to reach agreements that include updating the 1974 disengagement agreement, leading to the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries, while emphasizing the pursuit of normalizing relations as quickly as possible.
Axios report indicated that the Israeli side presented the US envoy with clear red lines, including the absence of Turkish military bases in Syria, the rejection of the return of Iran and Hezbollah to southern Syria, and the demilitarization of these areas.
An Israeli official also confirmed that Tel Aviv will maintain its forces in southern Syria until a formal disarmament agreement is signed, and that it wants to include US forces in the UN force deployed on the Syrian-Israeli border as part of a new agreement.
These developments follow a historic visit by US Special Envoy Tom Barrack to Damascus on May 29, where he met with President al Sharaa.
Barrack also visited Israel on June 4, touring the occupied Golan Heights, asserting that the conflict between the two countries is a “solvable problem” and calling for the establishment of a non-aggression pact.
The Axios report argues that the shift in the US position toward the new Syrian government, particularly after Trump’s meeting with al Sharaa in May and the lifting of US sanctions, has led to a gradual adjustment in Israel’s position, which had previously been pressuring Washington to be cautious in its dealings with Damascus.
The report notes that Israel has intensified its military operations in Syria over the past few years, including raids and incursions aimed at reducing the regime’s military capabilities.
It also occupied the buffer zone on the border, reflecting the confusion and tension in Tel Aviv over the political shifts in Syria.
