Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa claimed that his government is currently negotiating with the Zionist entity, noting that a comprehensive peace deal with ‘Israel’ is contingent upon the latter’s full withdrawal to the borders existing prior to December 8.

“We are engaged in direct negotiations with Israel, and we have gone a good distance on the way to reach an agreement,” he told The Washington Post.

But to reach a final agreement, Israel should withdraw to their pre-December 8 borders,” Al-Sharaa said, referring to the fall of the Assad regime and the commencement of Israeli strikes in Syria following the ouster.

He noted that retreating to the pre-December 8 lines is backed by Washington.

The Syrian transitional leader accused the Zionist entity of expansionist policies, saying that it has launched more than 1,000 airstrikes on Syrian territory since December 8.

“We have exercised restraint in the face of these aggressions to prioritize Syria’s reconstruction efforts,” Al-Sharaa explained in the interview, which was conducted on Monday and published on Tuesday.

Sharaa’s statements follow his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, marking the first visit by a Syrian leader in almost 80 years. This engagement represents a shift in bilateral relations, as Damascus pushes for the full lifting of Caesar sanctions imposed in 2019 over human rights concerns.

Hugely humiliating photos of Trump meeting Syria’s Sharaa. Total breach of protocol of meeting him as a subordinate. Compare Trump with other regional leaders like King Abdullah and Netanyahu pic.twitter.com/e9CaoDr7wZ

— Ghanem Nuseibeh (@gnuseibeh) November 11, 2025

Source: Agencies (translated and edited by Al-Manar)