Syria's President: Israel Backed Out of 90% Complete Deal

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa addressed his country's negotiations with Israel and the Gaza war in an interview conducted on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Responding to journalist Barak Ravid's question about Israeli concerns and suspicions regarding Syria following October 7, al-Sharaa offered a measured response.

"I understand what happened on October 7 for some of the innocent people," the he said, "but at the same time, it is not possible for all policy to be determined based on an incident that occurred in history, because in parallel we must also understand what happened in Gaza, where more than 70,000 people were killed."

He also sharply criticized Israeli military operations inside Syria: "Indiscriminate arrests are being carried out inside Syria, even the presidential palace was bombed twice by the Israeli army. Our airports are being bombed, as well as all the military airfields we have." He added rhetorically: "Does this bring security to the Israeli citizen?"

Regarding talks with Israel, al-Sharaa revealed, "We almost reached an agreement of 90%, but at that point Israel withdrew from the agreement for various reasons it presented." He did not elaborate on what those reasons were or the content of the nearly-achieved agreement.

He emphasized his position on the Golan Heights: "The Golan Heights is Syrian territory under UN recognition and after a vote by more than 137 countries—therefore there is no discussion about these territories and to whom they belong."

The interview comes against a backdrop of ongoing tensions between Israel and Syria. Recent days have seen reports of powerful explosions at a Syrian ammunition depot in the al-Eis area south of Aleppo, with at least four people injured in the incident. Additionally, 14 Israeli civilians crossed the border into Syrian territory in the Alonei Habashan area this week and were returned by IDF forces.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an IDF outpost at Mount Hermon in Syria approximately two weeks ago, delivering a sharp message to Iran and terror forces in the region. "We control the entire area from the peak of Mount Hermon to the Yarmouk, and from here to the Mediterranean Sea, absolute control the likes of which has never existed," Netanyahu said.