President Ahmed al-Sharaa: Syria seeking security deal with Israel

What the report says

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told Al Jazeera that Damascus is working with several countries on a possible security agreement with Israel, saying he hopes such an arrangement could open the way to a broader peace. The comments were reported on July 26 ahead of the full broadcast of Al Jazeera’s Al Muqabala interview at 19:00 GMT.

According to Al Jazeera, al-Sharaa said Syria is trying to avoid confrontation with Israel and views a security understanding as a step toward a wider settlement. He also said any deal would not give up Syria’s claim to the occupied Golan Heights. The remarks come after Al Jazeera described repeated Israeli strikes and incursions in southern Syria since al-Sharaa took power in December 2024 after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.

The interview also addressed Lebanon, where al-Sharaa rejected rumors that Syria planned military intervention. He said Damascus was discussing ways to help Lebanese authorities navigate the country’s crisis, and backed limiting decisions on war and peace, as well as weapons, to the Lebanese state. Al Jazeera reported that he warned disorder in Lebanon would quickly affect Syria, and that a wider US-Israel war with Iran would carry serious regional consequences.

On domestic issues, al-Sharaa said sanctions relief alone would be insufficient unless Syria were removed from terrorism-related lists. He acknowledged delays in implementing an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces but said the government remained committed to it. He also announced a committee on people missing during Syria’s war, which Al Jazeera noted has left large numbers of Syrians unaccounted for, citing UN and Syrian commission estimates.