Israel and Syria near preliminary de-escalation pact: US envoy
Israel and Syria are on the brink of a preliminary de-escalation understanding that will form the foundation for a future security agreement, says the US special envoy to Syria.
Israel has carried out attacks across Syria, but especially in the southeastern regions, where it has carried out repeated raids near its shared border since ex-President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in a lightning offensive in December last year.
US envoy Tom Barrack has been working on the issue for months and championed the idea of integrating a unified Syria into the region.
Speaking to reporters in New York City, Barrack said: “I think everybody is approaching it in good faith”.
Israeli forces invade Syrian villages in Quneitra
Footage circulating on Syrian media shows Israeli ground troops advancing on the town of Sida al-Golan in the countryside of Quneitra.
Armoured vehicles patrolled the streets, and soldiers climbed onto the rooftops of houses. Many homes were reportedly searched by Israeli troops as well.
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes targeting military sites and assets across Syria since the fall of its leader, Bashar al-Assad, in December.
It has also expanded its occupation of the Golan Heights into Syria by seizing the demilitarised buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.
‘We stand firmly with the people of Gaza’: Syria’s president to UNGA
In his address to the UN General Assembly, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called for an immediate end to Israel’s war on Gaza.
“We are among the peoples most deeply aware of the horrors of war and destruction,” he said.
“For this reason, we stand firmly with the people of Gaza, its children and women and all peoples facing violations and aggression. We call for an immediate end to the war,” he said.
