Israel Signals Interest In Peace Talks With Syria, Lebanon

Israel announced Monday its interest in pursuing peace agreements with neighbouring Lebanon and Syria—a move that could mark a significant shift in the region after decades of conflict and hostility.

With Syria under new leadership following the fall of long-time president Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon’s Hezbollah weakened, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his government is seeking to expand its circle of normalization with Arab nations.

“Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accords’ circle of peace and normalization,” Saar said, referring to the U.S.-brokered agreements Israel signed in 2020 with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem alongside Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, “We are keen to include our neighbours—Syria and Lebanon—in this peace process while firmly safeguarding Israel’s vital security interests.” Saar added.

Tensions between Israel and Syria have long centered on the Golan Heights, a strategic area captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed — a move not recognized by the United Nations. Saar emphasized that the Golan will remain part of the State of Israel under any future peace deal.

Following Assad’s ousting in December, Israel moved forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in the Golan and has continued to conduct airstrikes on military targets inside Syria.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah’s influence has waned after suffering setbacks in a conflict with Israel last year, which was intensified by Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Despite a ceasefire declared in November, Israel has continued its strikes against Hezbollah.

There has been no immediate response from Lebanese or Syrian officials to Saar’s comments.

Israel’s renewed push for regional peace comes on the heels of a 12-day conflict with Iran that ended last week and amid growing international pressure to halt its ongoing operations in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’s deadly assault in October 2023.

On Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said the recent Iran-Israel ceasefire could open the door to broader regional diplomacy.

“What just happened between Israel and Iran is an opportunity for all of us to say, ‘Time out. Let’s create a new road,’” Barrack told Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency.

“The Middle East is ready for a new dialogue. People are tired of the same old story.”

— AFP