Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Wednesday that negotiations with Israel may produce a formal security agreement �in the coming days,� marking the most significant progress between the longtime adversaries in years.

Speaking ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, al-Sharaa described the pact as a �necessity� for regional stability and said any deal must guarantee Syrian airspace, respect territorial integrity and be monitored by the United Nations, according to Reuters.

A Syrian Foreign Ministry official confirmed progress, telling AFP that several security and military agreements could be signed by year�s end.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met Wednesday in London with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, the American ambassador to Turkey, for a third round of U.S.-mediated talks, Axios reported. The five-hour session included Syria�s formal response to an Israeli proposal for a security arrangement, according to a source familiar with the discussions.

Washington has pressed for an agreement ahead of the U.N. gathering, Reuters reported, though al-Sharaa rejected claims of U.S. pressure, saying Washington was acting only as a mediator.

The negotiations come amid Israel�s continued military presence at strategic Syrian sites, including Mount Hermon, seized after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Al-Sharaa compared Syria�s demands to the 1974 disengagement deal following the Yom Kippur War, while noting that Israel has indicated it wants to remain at the posts.

On the Golan Heights � recognized by President Donald Trump in his first term as Israeli territory � al-Sharaa said it was �too early� to discuss.

The Syrian leader also disclosed that an agreement was close earlier this summer, but violence in Sweida Province, involving Druze militias, Sunni Bedouin tribes and regime-allied forces, derailed the talks. Israel intervened to protect the Druze minority and is planning additional assistance.

Barrack, the U.S. envoy, referenced those events on X, endorsing a Jordanian statement on a joint roadmap for Sweida. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reposted the message, praising Trump�s �peace through strength� approach and highlighting efforts to advance accountability, reconciliation and minority rights in Syria.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)