SAEDNEWS: In a striking deviation from long-standing policy, Syria is reportedly no longer demanding the return of the occupied Golan Heights in ongoing security negotiations with Israel.
According to Saed News, Syrian negotiators are said to have dropped demands for the return of the Golan Heights, a territory Israel seized in the 1967 Six-Day War and whose occupation remains unrecognized by most of the international community. The Lebanese broadcaster LBCI, citing unnamed sources, reported on Monday that current talks between Syria and Israel have focused instead on gaining Israeli recognition of Syria’s new government under Ahmad al-Sharaa and a withdrawal from Israeli-held areas in southern Syria captured since January.
The reported shift marks a dramatic departure from Damascus’s decades-long insistence on reclaiming the Golan Heights as a non-negotiable condition for peace. Analysts view the move as potentially indicative of Syria’s desire to consolidate power internally and secure immediate security guarantees, rather than pursue maximal territorial claims.
In addition to recognition, Syria is reportedly seeking clearly delineated security arrangements in the southern regions bordering Jordan and Israel, and in the sensitive border triangle shared by all three nations. Syrian officials are also said to be calling for American support, though the scope and terms of such assistance remain undefined.
Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights has been condemned by the United Nations and the wider international community, with the notable exception of the United States, which recognized Israeli sovereignty over the area in 2019 under the Trump administration.
The implications of Syria’s recalibrated stance remain uncertain, but the potential reordering of regional diplomacy—especially amid shifting alliances and leadership changes—could signal a new, if fragile, phase in Israel-Syria relations.
