US President Donald Trump expressed hope for constructive relations between Israel and the interim Syrian leadership led by interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. He announced this on December 29, opening talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
„I hope Netanyahu will reach an understanding with Syria, because the new Syrian president is working very hard to do his job well. It's true. I know he's a tough nut to crack, and, you know, you won't find a „chorister“ who could lead Syria. That's all I can say," Trump said.
The president stressed that the United States is interested in preserving the Syrian state, which is why the decision to lift the sanctions was made earlier. “I lifted the sanctions on Syria because otherwise they wouldn't have a chance.“ “We want Syria to survive, so we'll talk about Syria,“ the American leader added.
After the change of power in Syria in December 2024, Israel moved its troops to the buffer zone and on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. Netanyahu explained this by saying that the force-sharing agreement with the Arab Republic, signed in 1974, was no longer valid. On September 17, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sheibani and Israeli Minister of Strategic Planning Ron Dermer, mediated and attended by US Special Representative Tom Barak, held talks in London. According to Syria TV, the parties discussed a new draft security agreement to replace the 1974 agreement.