Syria Says Israeli Violations Stall U.S. Mediation

Mohammad Taha al-Ahmad, director of the Arab Affairs Department at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, said U.S. mediation is still ongoing to reach a security agreement between Syria and Israel.

He said the agreement is based on the 1974 disengagement accord, Israeli non-interference in Syria’s internal affairs, and preventing Israel from exploiting any internal problems as a justification for entering Syria. He made the remarks in an interview with Jordan’s Al-Mamlaka TV on Sunday evening, 12 April.

The agreement also requires Israel to withdraw from all areas it entered after the fall of the former regime, al-Ahmad said.

He added that a draft agreement with Israel had been reached some time ago, but a technical problem arose on the Israeli side after it replaced the head of its negotiating team.

The director of the Arab Affairs Department at Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Syria hopes to see seriousness from the Israelis in committing to the disengagement agreement.

Israeli Violations Stalled the Mediation

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani had said that continued Israeli violations against Syria had obstructed U.S. mediation aimed at reaching an agreement between Damascus and Tel Aviv.

He made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on 9 April.

Al-Shaibani said Israel continues to violate Syria’s sovereignty and airspace and carries out ground incursions. He called on the United States and the international community to support implementation of the 1974 agreement, demand the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syrian territory, and give the Syrian people, exhausted by war, the chance to rebuild their devastated country.

Al-Shaibani also said the U.S. mediation between Damascus and Tel Aviv, which included meetings in London and Paris over recent months, had faltered because of near-daily Israeli violations, including raids and house searches and the arrest of civilians, among them children and shepherds.

Israel Accuses Syria of Breaching Understandings

Israeli military officials said Syria had begun moving forces and weapons to strategic areas in the occupied Syrian Golan, which they described as a breach of previous understandings between the two sides over force deployment near the border.

According to a report by the Israeli website Walla on 3 March, the moves included troop reinforcements and military equipment headed toward elevated positions in the hills overlooking the northern Golan. Israel considers those positions a critical strategic point that allows broad surveillance and fire control over the northern area.

The officials added that moving troops and military materiel to those positions constituted a violation of previous security understandings meant to prevent direct military friction and preserve stability along the contact lines.

They also said the Israeli army is closely monitoring all troop and equipment movements in the sensitive area, where strict movement restrictions had previously been imposed on the Syrian side.

At the time, Syria’s Ministry of Defense said the deployment of Syrian army units on the border with neighboring states did not represent military escalation, but was purely a defensive and organizational measure that did not target any state or party.

Reaffirming the Recovery of the Golan

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview with the U.S. network CBS on 21 September 2025 that the Golan is Syrian land and that Damascus seeks to recover it through negotiations and peace agreements, or by any means that guarantee its right to it, a right still recognized by the international community.

Al-Sharaa added that Israel must roll back any advances it made after December 2024, following the fall of the former regime. He said Syria had carried out no provocation toward Tel Aviv since the current government was formed and would not serve as a platform to threaten any neighboring country, including Israel.

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