Syria and Israel circle a security pact while Israeli strikes hit Damascus
Al-Sharaa calls a pact a 'necessity' and says results may come 'in coming days'; he calls a strike near the presidential palace 'a declaration of war' but refrains from responding
Summary
Al-Sharaa is negotiating a US-brokered security pact with Israel even as Israeli strikes continue. He calls a pact a "necessity" and said results could come "in coming days," but described an Israeli strike near the presidential palace as "not a message but a declaration of war" — while stressing Syria refrained from responding to preserve talks. Israel has carried out more than 1,000 strikes and 400+ ground incursions since Assad's fall in December 2024. Syria's demands: a full Israeli withdrawal from territory the IDF seized after Assad fell, revival of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, an end to strikes and a sovereignty guarantee. The sides held a US-brokered meeting in London; Sweida's mid-2025 unrest derailed an earlier near-deal, and key security questions remain.
By the numbers
- 1,000+ — Israeli strikes on Syria since December 2024.
- 400+ — Israeli ground incursions since December 2024.
- 1974 — the Disengagement Agreement Syria wants revived.
- "4-5 days" — how close al-Sharaa says a pact came before Sweida derailed it.
Why it matters
A pact could halt the strikes, pull back IDF forces and anchor al-Sharaa's young government regionally — but the asymmetry (Israel strikes at will, Syria absorbs) makes concessions politically costly for Damascus. The Israel front is one of three threats (with the SDF and Sweida) to Syrian stability in 2026.
What to watch
- Whether a security pact text is actually reached "in coming days."
- Any further Israeli strikes near Damascus and Syria's restraint holding.
- Whether the 1974 disengagement framework is revived.