The Syrian channel “Al-Ikhbariya” reported that “Israeli occupation forces are advancing into the village and have set up a military checkpoint, preventing residents from passing through.” The Syrian president for the transitional phase, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, stated that “the Israeli incursion into Syria stems not from security concerns but from expansionist ambitions.” He noted that Damascus is engaged in direct negotiations with Tel Aviv, but Israel must withdraw to the December 8th borders for progress to be made in this matter.
He said, “Israel occupied the Golan under the pretext of protecting itself, and today it imposes conditions in southern Syria under the guise of protecting the Golan. In years to come, it might occupy central Syria under the pretext of protecting the south, and with this logic, it could eventually reach Munich.” He added, “We are engaged in direct negotiations with Israel and have made significant strides toward reaching an agreement. However, for a final agreement to be reached, Israel must withdraw to its borders as they were prior to December 8th.” He pointed out that “the United States is with us in these negotiations, and many international parties support our view in this regard. Today, we found that President (Donald) Trump supports our viewpoint as well, and he will push for a solution to this issue as soon as possible.”
On the past September 29th, Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mustafa asserted that “the security agreement between Syria and Israel is entirely different from normalizing relations between the two countries,” noting that Israel “considered the disengagement agreement signed in 1974 nullified.” He said that Damascus conducted three rounds of negotiations with the Israelis, adding, “but the Israeli strikes on Syria have complicated matters.” Earlier, Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Al-Shibani confirmed that Israeli air strikes on Syrian areas have made it difficult.
