by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the Trump administration to mediate talks with Syria’s newly installed government, in a move that could signal a dramatic shift in the Middle East, Axios reported Wednesday.
The Israeli leader reportedly expressed his desire to negotiate with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a visit last week by Tom Barrack, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey. Netanyahu hopes to initiate discussions on a renewed security arrangement as a precursor to a comprehensive peace agreement — the first between the two nations since the 1974 disengagement agreement.
“We want to try and move towards normalization with Syria as soon as possible,” a senior Israeli official told Axios.
Talks would build on the foundations of the 1974 deal, updating security understandings and potentially demilitarizing southern Syria, while stopping short of requiring a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Israel has made clear its red lines: no Iranian or Hezbollah presence, no Turkish military bases, and a continuing U.S. role in the UN peacekeeping force monitoring the ceasefire.
Barrack, who visited Syria a week before arriving in Israel, reportedly described the current tensions between the countries as “a solvable problem” and recommended beginning with a non-aggression pact.
Israeli officials initially opposed the al-Sharaa-led government, labeling it a terrorist regime due to its jihadist affiliations. However, following a surprise policy reversal by President Trump — including the lifting of U.S. sanctions and a high-profile meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh — Israeli airstrikes in Syria tapered off by mid-May. Since then, covert meetings between Israeli and Syrian officials have taken place in third-party countries, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.
“It is better for us that the Syrian government is close to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia than Turkey,” said a senior Israeli official.
The potential for a peace deal comes amid a significant regional realignment, with Iranian-backed forces reportedly withdrawing from Syria and a growing perception in Jerusalem that Damascus is moving into the American-Saudi orbit. If realized, the talks would mark the first direct negotiations between Israel and Syria since 2011.
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