Syrian President says country wants deal with Israel

Syria is seeking to reach a security agreement with Israel, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday.

Sharaa said the agreement could pave the way for a broader peace between the two countries while preserving Syria’s claim to the Golan Heights, a territory captured by Israel from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981.

He said Syria was working to involve a broad group of countries to pressure Israel to adopt what he described as a more balanced approach toward Syria.

“We are avoiding getting into confrontations,” Sharaa said.

Following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in December 2024, when rebel forces led by Sharaa seized control, Israeli troops moved into Syrian territory and took strategic positions. Israeli forces entered a demilitarized zone inside Syria, including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, which overlooks Damascus.

Since then, Israel has carried out airstrikes in Syria and detained individuals inside the country. Israel has also launched operations it said were aimed at protecting the Druze minority in southwestern Syria.

On Sunday, Israeli forces shelled areas in Syria and destroyed an electrical transformer in the village of Maariyah, cutting power to homes, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.

Sharaa’s remarks came as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Syria, marking the first visit by a U.N. chief to the country since 2009.

In a statement posted on X, Guterres called for respect for Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity.

“Violations by Israel of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement are unacceptable and must stop,” Guterres said.

Sharaa, who has sought to improve Syria’s international image, became the first Syrian president since 1967 to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York last year. His government is working to restore international relations and rebuild the economy after nearly 14 years of war and decades of isolation and repression under Assad family rule.

Sharaa also said his government is “not considering military interventions” in Lebanon. The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Sharaa’s forces fought on opposing sides during the Syrian civil war.

Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Sharaa about efforts to counter Hezbollah, while also criticizing Israel over the number of civilian casualties in Lebanon.

-Reporting by Yasmine Ghania, Muhammad Al Gebaly, and Nazih Osseiran; Editing by Chris Reese and Nia Williams/Reuters