U.S. envoy confirms Israel, Syria are close to 'de-escalation' pact

Syria and Israel are on the verge of signing a "de-escalation" agreement in which Israel will stop its targeted strikes against jihadists and military targets while Syria will agree to not move any machinery or heavy equipment near the Israeli border, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said on Tuesday. 

The statement comes hours after an i24NEWS report that there is a “high likelihood” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington next week.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York, Barrack said the agreement would serve as the first step towards the comprehensive security deal that the two countries have been negotiating. "I think everybody is approaching it in good faith," the official added.

The agreement under discussion has not been formally detailed, but officials familiar with the talks told i24NEWS it includes border security arrangements, counterterrorism coordination, and mechanisms aimed at preventing escalation along the Golan Heights frontier. If signed, it would mark the first formal accord between Israel and Syria in decades.

For Netanyahu, the meeting would represent both a diplomatic gamble and an opportunity. The Israeli Prime Minister has long insisted that any engagement with Syria must address threats from Iranian proxies and ensure Israel’s security along its northern border. 

Al-Sharaa, for his part, is seeking international legitimacy and economic relief for his war-battered country, making U.S. sponsorship of the deal critical.

While optimism is rising, both Israeli and Syrian officials caution that sensitive details remain unresolved, and the volatile regional environment could derail the effort at the last minute. Still, the senior Israeli official stressed to i24NEWS that “the chances of the meeting happening are very high.”