DAMASCUS – Syria is not interested in a military conflict with Israel and seeks an agreement that would regulate the security conditions between the two countries. At the same time, it does not intend to abandon its claim to the Golan Heights, which have been occupied by Israel since 1967. This was stated by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in an interview with Al Jazeera television.
The Syrian president believes that any agreement, if approved by both sides, could open the way for a broader peace settlement in the Middle East. However, he emphasized that efforts to prevent military clashes do not mean that Syria is prepared to abandon its territorial claims.
His statement comes at a time of continued tension in southern Syria. Damascus repeatedly criticizes Israeli military operations in areas bordering the Golan Heights and warns of possible violations of previous agreements between the two countries.
On Saturday, al-Sharaa also met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Damascus. The head of the UN, after the meeting at a press conference, stated that the United Nations considers the Golan Heights to be part of Syrian territory. At the same time, he condemned Israeli incursions into the demilitarized zone.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs appealed to the United Nations on June 29 regarding Israeli military operations in the southern Syrian provinces of Daraa and Quneitra. Damascus described these actions as a gross violation of the disengagement agreement signed by Syria and Israel in 1974 concerning the situation in the Golan Heights.
The statement by the Syrian president thus links two main positions of Damascus. Syria wants to prevent further escalation through negotiations and with the support of friendly states, but at the same time insists on its rights to the Golan Heights. According to al-Sharaa, any security agreement with Israel can only be reached if it does not mean a Syrian concession in the issue of the occupied territory.
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