Sharaa confirms Syria is in direct talks with Israel, says no deal without withdrawal

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed his country is in direct negotiations with Israel to establish a new security agreement for southern Syria. The talks, mediated by the US, follow Israel's invasion of a UN buffer zone and over 1,000 air strikes since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in late 2024. Sharaa stated that a prerequisite for any deal is the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all territory occupied since December 2024. He dismissed Israel's justification of targeting Iran-linked militants as false, asserting that his forces had already expelled them and that Israel's actions stem from expansionist ambitions.