Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has poured cold water on hopes for a peace agreement with Israel, stressing that Damascus will not join the Abraham Accords without first regaining the Golan Heights.
In an interview with the Saudi magazine Al-Majalla, al-Sharaa said: “Those agreements were between Israel and countries with no disputes and no shared borders with it. Syria’s situation is different. We have the Golan, an occupied land.”
He emphasized that Syria’s priority remains a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement—or a similar arrangement—under international supervision to preserve security in southern Syria. “When we achieve anything, we will not hide it. We will announce every step if it serves the nation and brings stability,” he added.
Al-Sharaa also recalled Israel’s reaction to the fall of the Assad regime: “In one day, Israel found itself facing a new reality, and its strategy went into shock.” Addressing Israeli threats about Syria’s potential partition, he cited the Golan example: “The Golan has been occupied since 1967, but no one recognized the occupation [ED - Except the USA]. Arab, regional, and global powers oppose the partition of states. When Israel hints at partition, it is only to exert pressure. It’s unrealistic—there is a strong Syrian popular majority against it.”