Syria accuses Israel of evading preliminary security agreement

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani has accused Israel of evading a preliminary security agreement that was reportedly drafted through American mediation. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have claimed that Syria breached the terms of a preliminary deal and threatened Israeli security, al-Shibani maintains that both sides had reached a written consensus on all terms earlier this year.

The proposed agreement included provisions for Israel to refrain from attacking Syria, avoid interfering in Syrian internal affairs, and withdraw from territories seized following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. It also outlined the establishment of security zones near the border, including a buffer zone managed exclusively by the United Nations and other areas where Syrian forces would be deployed.

Al-Shibani stated that Israel lacked the “real motivation or will” to finalize the deal. Tensions remain high as Israeli forces have expanded their presence in southern Syria and conducted various airstrikes, including a recent attack on the Abu al-Duhur base in the Idlib countryside.