Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and several senior government and defense officials toured southern Syria on Wednesday amid reports of talks on a potential security agreement.
Also taking part in the tour were Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, IDF Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head David Zini.
The group visited an IDF post, met with active-duty and reserve soldiers, praised their actions during the war, and answered their questions. “We are proud of our soldiers,” Netanyahu stated.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning the visit, calling it a "serious violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"Syria reiterates its firm demand for the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from Syrian territory and affirms that all measures taken by the occupation in southern Syria are null and void and have no legal effect under international law," the statement said.
Syria also called on the international community to push for total Israeli withdrawal from the region, returning to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
"Syria will continue to defend its sovereignty and inalienable rights until it regains all of its territory."
Israel-Syria security pact expected to be finalized this year
In an interview with The Washington Post, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa claimed that his government is currently negotiating with Israel.
“We are engaged in direct negotiations with Israel, and we have gone a good distance on the way to reaching an agreement. But to reach a final agreement, Israel should withdraw to their pre-December eight borders,” Sharaa said.
The Syrian president’s reference to December 8 refers to the fall of the Assad regime and the commencement of Israeli strikes in Syria following the ouster. Additionally, in an interview with 103FM, Israeli Lt.-Col. (Res.) Alon Eviatar estimated that part of an agreement with Syria would include “a corridor there to fly on the way to Iran.”
Against this backdrop, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is set to arrive in Washington on Thursday. He would be the first Syrian foreign minister to visit the American capital in a quarter-century.
Sam Halpern, Seth J. Frantzman, and Reuters contributed to this report.