A security agreement between Israel and Syria is not expected to be signed in the near future, according to a senior Israeli official who stated that the two nations are “not close yet.” The negotiations are reportedly at a standstill due to substantial disagreement over Israeli troop deployment inside Syrian territory.
A central obstacle in the US-brokered talks is Syria’s demand that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdraw from areas it seized following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. Israel, which entered and occupied parts of the buffer zone and other strategic positions in southwestern Syria in the wake of the power vacuum, has rejected this demand.
The Israeli official told The Times of Israel that a security deal is “not in the cards right now,” confirming that Jerusalem is unwilling to undertake such a withdrawal in exchange for anything less than a full peace treaty with Damascus.
Recent reporting by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan reinforced this position, stating that security negotiations have reached a “dead end” due to widening differences. Israeli sources indicate that Tel Aviv will only consider withdrawing its forces from the newly occupied areas as part of a comprehensive peace agreement with Syria, which is currently not under discussion.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa has offered Israel a limited security deal but has ruled out a full peace agreement and normalization as long as Israel continues to occupy the Golan Heights, territory seized in the 1967 war. Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement void and expanded its occupation into the demilitarized buffer zone.
The continuation of Israeli incursions and the deepening of its presence in southern Syria, including on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, signal Tel Aviv’s readiness for a long-term presence unless a comprehensive security arrangement is reached.
