DAMASCUS / WASHINGTON: In a surprising diplomatic turn, Syria has announced that it is working with the United States on security understandings with Israel, aimed at stabilising the country’s troubled southern belt. The move is part of a wider U.S.- and Jordan-backed roadmap to reduce tensions after recent violent clashes in Sweida and other southern regions.
According to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, these discussions are designed to address the “legitimate security concerns” of all parties, while safeguarding Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Damascus has repeatedly stressed that any settlement must respect its sovereign rights, even as it seeks to put an end to Israeli air raids and border incursions.
As confidence-building measures, Syrian authorities have begun pulling back heavy weaponry from southern areas, with withdrawals extending up to ten kilometres outside Damascus in certain zones. Talks also include efforts to revive demilitarised buffer areas under the 1974 truce agreement, although Israel has shown reluctance to vacate some of the territories it has recently taken over.
The violence in Sweida, where clashes erupted between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouins and Syrian government forces in July, has added urgency to the negotiations. Israel’s repeated interventions and insistence on demilitarisation of southern Syria have further pressed Damascus into considering these understandings.
Despite progress, the thorny issue of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967, remains unresolved and is expected to be set aside for later rounds of dialogue.
Observers note that while these talks may signal an unusual moment of openness in the region, the path ahead is uncertain. If the roadmap succeeds, it could lower the risk of direct confrontation, restore stability in southern Syria, and redefine relations along one of the Middle East’s most volatile frontiers. However, domestic resistance and regional rivalries continue to cast shadows over the process.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.