Trump Pushes Syria toward a Security Deal with Israel
2025-09-22131 view
Since April, the Trump administration has been mediating to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Syria, pushing them toward a security agreement that would help stabilize Syria in the wake of the fall of the Assad regime. This mediation has included occasional interventions and pressure by the U.S. administration on Israel to rein in its attacks on Syrian territory.
According to media reports on the agreement, which U.S. officials say will be unveiled soon, it takes into account Israel’s security needs by limiting the deployment of heavy weapons near the Golan Heights border, as well as including a no-fly zone for Syrian aircraft. In return, it will aim to prevent Israel and Syria from sliding into a wider confrontation, by halting Israeli attacks on Syrian territory.
The Trump administration has made reducing Iranian influence its top priority in the region. To this end, it wants to prevent Israel from carrying out attacks on Syrian territory in a manner that could undermine the security situation, as such a scenario could open the door to foreign interventions led by Iran, which is on the lookout for opportunities to return to the Syrian arena.
Given continued pressure by Israel, Damascus has not ruled out the option of restoring relations with Iran, even despite the Islamic Republic’s historic role as a key supporter of toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad. During a TV interview in early September, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stressed that relations with Tehran would not remain severed forever.
On another level, Israeli pressure could prompt Damascus to move closer to Russia, allowing it to maintain and expand its military bases on Syrian territory. It is noteworthy that Washington has stepped up its outreach to Damascus since a high-level Russian delegation visited Syria in early September 2025, leading to the lifting of sanctions on Syria under the Caesar Act—while leaving the door open to their subsequent reinstatement, to ensure they remain a source of leverage.
The U.S. also received Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani in mid-September, then approved a U.S. visit by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, to hold meetings with the Syrian community in the country and address the United Nations General Assembly.
The Syrian administration has also repeatedly expressed a willingness to coordinate with U.S. forces to prevent the reemergence of the Islamic State group. The Trump administration appears to be counting on broadening this cooperation in order to reduce its own military presence in Syria, maintaining only advisors to assist the new Syrian army, which it hopes will preserve good relations with Washington. Therefore, mediation between Syria and Israel serves to strengthen Washington’s own relations with Damascus.
In general, Trump administration appears to want to ensure that Iran remains unable to exploit Syrian territory to gain access to the Mediterranean or Lebanon, enabling it to complete the process of disarming Lebanese militant movement Hezbollah. However, it wants to do so in a way that does not allow the current Syrian government to pose a threat to Israel, thus explaining the link between sanctions on Syria and its behavior toward neighboring countries. Moreover, Washington wants to prevent IS from reviving its activities in a way that would force it to review its plans for reducing its presence in the region.
