QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Southern Syria has witnessed a recent escalation in Israeli military incursions, accompanied by shelling targeting multiple areas and arrests of local residents, raising questions about the motives behind the operations amid growing reports of a potential Syrian-Israeli security agreement mediated by the United States.
At the same time, recent remarks by senior Syrian officials have coincided with media leaks concerning the terms of a possible Syrian-Israeli security arrangement, including sensitive issues such as the division of control over Mount Hermon and the future status of the governorates of Daraa, Quneitra, and Suwayda.
However, the announcement of the reportedly “imminent” security agreement was delayed for technical reasons, including the replacement of the head of the Israeli negotiating delegation, according to Mohammad al-Ahmad, Director of the Arab and Regional Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
Speaking in April to Jordan’s Al-Mamlaka TV, al-Ahmad said there had been communication for some time regarding a draft agreement with the Israelis, but a technical issue arose on their side involving the replacement of the head of the negotiating team.
Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said during remarks in Brussels on the sidelines of the Syria-European Union Partnership Coordination Forum that Syria had engaged in US-mediated negotiations with Israel but that the talks had not yet produced tangible results.
Al-Shaibani said Damascus seeks a stable and calm relationship with Israel, adding that they want to focus on reconstruction and creating a safe environment for Syrians to return.
Israeli pressure tactics
Syrian affairs researcher Mohsen Awadallah said Israeli operations in southern Syria “cannot be viewed as isolated events, but rather as part of a broader regional landscape being reshaped amid ongoing tensions stretching from Gaza to Lebanon and from Tehran to Damascus.”
Awadallah told North Press that Israel is seeking to impose “a new reality” and is exploiting regional instability to strengthen its influence and expand its reach under what he described as a doctrine of “managing threats before they emerge.”
He added that Israel is using the military movements as leverage in political negotiations with Damascus, noting that it has already established “a security and military reality” and expanded its control over large parts of southern Syria since the fall of the al-Assad regime.
Syrian-Israeli relations
Regarding relations between Damascus and Tel Aviv, Awadallah said the Syrian leadership under President Ahmad al-Sharaa is approaching ties with Israel pragmatically.
“Both sides need each other to varying degrees,” he said. “Israel, according to its narrative, wants quiet borders and reduced threats near the Golan Heights, while Syria seeks to halt repeated strikes and restore a degree of stability that would allow it to focus on domestic issues.”
Awadallah argued that the negotiations are unlikely to lead to a “historic peace” similar to the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel or the Wadi Araba treaty between Jordan and Israel.
“There are highly complex issues between Tel Aviv and Damascus, foremost among them the future of the Golan Heights,” he said. “What is more likely in the near term is a gradual security understanding aimed at managing tensions and preventing escalation, rather than full normalization or a final peace agreement.”
Leaks surrounding possible agreement
Arab media outlets have recently published leaked details they said were part of a potential agreement between Syria and Israel. The reported terms included an Israeli withdrawal from some positions it controls in southern Syria, alongside new security arrangements in Quneitra and Daraa and a reduction in the Syrian military presence there.
The leaks also addressed the status of Suwayda Governorate, suggesting the possibility of granting it local administrative authority while integrating armed formations there into a special division within the Syrian army.
Awadallah said the leaks may represent elements of a potential US-sponsored security arrangement between Syria and Israel.
“I believe these leaks could reflect an initial draft of such a possible agreement,” he said, adding that some details may change during negotiations depending on the level of US pressure.