News - Middle East: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene a meeting to discuss a potential “security agreement” with Syria under Hay'at Tahrir al-Shama (HTS).

The meeting is set to take place at Netanyahu’s office on Sunday, ahead of the UN General Assembly summit in New York, where both Netanyahu and آHTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani are expected to attend.

Diplomats are speculating that the two sides could announce a preliminary understanding during the upcoming gathering.

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu told ministers during a cabinet meeting that there had been progress in discussions with Syria that could lead to peace agreements with Damascus.

“We’re conducting contacts and there has been certain progress with the Syrians, but that’s still a vision for the future,” Netanyahu said, according n to his office.

Last week, Jolani said the talks with Israel might yield results “in the coming days,” emphasizing the necessity of a security deal to safeguard Syrian airspace and territorial integrity under UN monitoring. 

He went on to say that Syria and Israel came close to a deal in July, but the process was disrupted by clashes in Sweida province. 

Jolani further emphasized his regime's desire for an arrangement similar to the 1974 treaty, as Damascus is seeking to secure a halt to Israeli airstrikes and the withdrawal of Israeli troops who have pushed into southern Syria.

The expected agreement comes amid reports that the United States is pressing Israel to soften its stance, following the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Syria’s HTS-led administration in recent months. 

On Saturday, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported that Washington is urging Israel to narrow its differences with Syria to potentially reach a breakthrough in New York this week. 

Israeli officials have indicated that although talks have progressed, an agreement is “not yet ripe,” the report said.

Another Israeli official told the channel that Israel would not withdraw from positions on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, adding: “We don’t really believe this regime, but a deal could prevent escalation and stabilize the situation on the border.”

A Syrian source close to the HTS-led regime also told Kan that from Damascus’s perspective, the agreement is “essentially ready” and could be signed this week.

Israel has conducted repeated acts of aggression across the Syrian territory following the collapse of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government last year. Netanyahu has ordered his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize several strategic locations.

Instead of resistance to the ongoing Israeli military operations, HTS’s lack of action and its normalization overtures to Tel Aviv appear to have given Israel greater leeway to expand its occupation measures and increase the intensity of its airstrikes.

Press TV