Syria Signals Readiness to Reinstate 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Israel in U.S.-Backed Initiative
Syria offers to restore 1974 Golan Heights disengagement deal with Israel via US mediation. Post-Assad Damascus seeks cooperation, while Israel insists on keeping annexed territory. Historic talks could ease tensions on volatile border after decades of conflict.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Syrian government announced Friday that it is prepared to cooperate with the United States in restoring the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, in what would mark a pivotal development in regional diplomacy following years of confrontation and military tension along the Syrian-Israeli border.
In an official statement issued after a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani conveyed his country's “aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.” The deal, which followed the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, established a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone to separate Syrian and Israeli forces in the Golan Heights.
Washington Facilitating Normalization Talks
The U.S. has recently stepped up its diplomatic efforts to broker a comprehensive normalization agreement between Syria and Israel. Thomas Barrack, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, affirmed in an interview with The New York Times this week that Syria and Israel are currently involved in “meaningful” talks mediated by the United States.
Barrack, who previously described peace between the two states as “essential,” has emerged as a central figure in President Donald Trump’s Middle East diplomatic strategy. The dialogue marks the most direct interaction between Damascus and Tel Aviv since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December.
Syria and Israel: Decades of Hostility
Syria and Israel have technically remained in a state of war since the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel seized approximately two-thirds of the Golan Heights from Syria and unilaterally annexed the territory in 1981—a move not internationally recognized.
In 1974, the two nations agreed to a disengagement plan that established a roughly 80-kilometre (50-mile) remilitarized zone, patrolled by United Nations peacekeepers, east of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The recent U.S.-brokered talks aim to reinstate that mechanism amid heightened concerns over renewed hostilities in the region.
Post-Assad Transition and Israeli Military Activity
Following the collapse of the Assad regime late last year, Israel intensified its military presence in the buffer zone, reportedly carrying out numerous airstrikes on strategic military positions inside Syrian territory and expanding its operational reach into the country's southern regions.
Despite growing pressure from Washington to pursue diplomatic resolution, Syrian state media on Wednesday labelled any discussion of signing a peace accord with Israel as “premature,” reflecting internal political caution toward the rapid developments.
Israeli Position: Conditional Openness to Peace
Israel has signaled tentative openness to a broader peace agreement. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated on Monday that normalization with both Syria and Lebanon aligns with Israel’s long-term strategic interests. However, he reaffirmed that the Golan Heights “will remain part of the State of Israel” under any future settlement—a position likely to complicate negotiations.
As diplomatic activity continues, observers remain cautious over whether the evolving dialogue can overcome deep-rooted hostilities, territorial disputes, and longstanding mistrust. Yet, the revival of the 1974 disengagement framework may serve as the first tangible step toward calming decades of volatility along one of the Middle East’s most contentious frontiers.
