US envoy says Syria normalization with Israel could come 'sooner than Lebanon'

US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said Friday that a normalization agreement between Syria and Israel could be reached before a similar deal with Lebanon, citing what he described as Damascus’s consistent willingness to engage.

Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Barrack said Syria under the leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa “has never fired a shot at Israel, quite the opposite,” adding that “they have, time and time again, said we’re available to talk.” “My bet is, we’ll get to a non-aggression and normalization agreement with Syria sooner than Lebanon,” he said.

Barrack described Syria’s approach as restrained, saying, “The Syrians have shown tremendous patience,” and added that “there’s no purpose” in confrontation with Israel. He also noted the complexity of the regional environment, saying, “We're dealing with five countries on five borders, two seas.”

Addressing Israel’s position, Barrack said Israel views Druze communities in southern Syria and along the border as closely connected, stating they are “actually cousins of Israel.” He also made critical remarks about Israeli policy, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “doesn’t care about borders” or “boundaries.”

On regional dynamics, Barrack suggested closer alignment between Israel and Turkey could emerge, similar to Israel’s ties with Gulf states. “Israel aligned with Turkey, like Israel aligned with Abu Dhabi, like Saudi Arabia could be aligned with Israel,” he said, adding that such cooperation would support regional prosperity.

Separately, Barrack said he expects progress in resolving tensions between Washington and Ankara over Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system. “I think you are going to see the S-400 situation solved soon,” he said, adding that from the US perspective, “acceptance into an F-35 program is fine,” referring to discussions on potentially restoring Turkey’s participation in the fighter jet program.