High-stakes Israeli-Syrian security talks held in London ahead of UN summit

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Before September 22, the date of the two-state solution conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Israel is seeking progress on a security agreement with Syria.

Talks took place Wednesday in London between Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, with U.S. mediator Tom Barrack present.

The agreement includes a map of the border area, stretching from southwest Damascus to the border with Israel.

It would establish a weapons-free zone where Syrian air force flights are prohibited. The main point of disagreement concerns the peaks of Mount Hermon.

Israel sees this agreement as an alternative to the 1974 separation-of-forces agreement, which Tel Aviv considers outdated after the fall of the Assad regime and the establishment of a buffer zone in southern Syria where its army is deployed.

In its proposal, Israel seeks to maintain freedom of flight in Syrian airspace and requests a flight corridor allowing it to cross Syria toward Iran if necessary for military operations.

Drawing on principles from its peace agreement with Egypt—which divided the Sinai into three zones with different security arrangements—Israel proposes applying similar principles in Syria:

* The area southwest of Damascus would be divided into three zones, each with specified types of forces, their numbers, and the weapons Syrians are allowed to possess.

* The buffer zone, currently occupied by the Israeli army, would be expanded by an additional two kilometers on the Syrian side. Military forces or heavy weapons would be prohibited in the strip adjacent to this zone, though Syrian police and internal security forces would be allowed in the section of the buffer zone closest to the border.

In exchange for these demands, Tel Aviv has proposed a gradual withdrawal of its forces from all occupied areas in Syria, except for Mount Hermon, which it considers a strategically important site for any future settlement.

Ahead of the U.N. General Assembly, Israel hopes to hold talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on the sidelines in New York, though several Israeli officials have emphasized that the proposal is not yet ready for signing, making the likelihood of a Netanyahu-Al-Sharaa meeting slim.