Syrian president: Direct talks with Israel underway, withdrawal from occupied lands required

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said that any agreement with Israel depends on its withdrawal from territories it occupied after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

He made the comments in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday, following his historic meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

Al-Sharaa added that the US president supports Syria’s position and is expected to pressure Israel on this issue.

In the interview, Al-Sharaa said, “We are having direct negotiations with Israel, and and have “gone a good distance” toward reaching an agreement.”

“But to reach a final agreement,” he stressed, “Israel should withdraw to their pre-Dec. 8 borders,” [the date of Assad’s regime fall].

Sharaa also said Washington and several international actors support Syria’s perspective in this regard, adding that US President Donald Trump “supports our perspective as well, and he will push as quickly as possible in order to reach a solution.”