The US administration has ruled out any tangible progress on the path of an agreement between Syria and Israel ahead of the Israeli elections scheduled for next October, in light of the ongoing dispute over the future of the buffer zone in the south of the country.

A source familiar with the US administration told the Jerusalem Post that the chances of reaching an agreement between Syria and Israel before the elections are "very slim", explaining that the Syrian government's main demand is that Israel implement some form of withdrawal from the buffer zone, which Washington considers a major obstacle to any progress.

According to the source, US estimates indicate that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not agree to any withdrawal from the buffer zone before the elections due to the sensitivity of the security and political file, as he put it.

Israel confirms its continued occupation of southern Syria

In this context, Israeli Minister of War Israel Katz confirmed on Monday that his country intends to remain in the areas it has entered inside Syrian territory, noting that he informed the commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Cooper, that Israel "will not withdraw from the security zone in Syria."

On the other hand, the Syrian government and most of the parties to the international community affirm that the 1974 agreement is still in force and that any advance by the Israeli occupation army in the area constitutes a violation of the agreement, and demands that Israel withdraw from the buffer zone and return to the arrangements that existed before the fall of the regime.

Syria affirms its adherence to the occupied Golan

President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a dialogue session as part of the activities of the Antalya Forum on April 23: "The recognition of any country's right to the Golan is invalid, because this is the right of the Syrian people, and a country can give up part of its territory if its people agree, but it cannot recognize Israel's right to the lands of others."

He added: "The international community affirms that the Golan is Syrian territory occupied by Israel, and recently 134 countries in the United Nations voted in favor of a resolution confirming that the Golan is Syrian land par excellence and occupied by Israel."

President Al-Sharaa pointed out that Israel is violating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, and that work is underway to reach a security agreement that guarantees its withdrawal from the territories it occupied after December 8, 2024, its return to the 1974 lines, and the establishment of new rules that reinstate the disengagement agreement or conclude a new agreement that guarantees the security of both parties.

What is the Disengagement Agreement?

Israel announced the collapse of the separation of forces agreement between the two sides since 1974, and occupied the Syrian buffer zone after the fall of the former Syrian regime, and although the new Syrian administration did not threaten Israel, the latter launched airstrikes on Syria that resulted in the death of civilians and the destruction of military sites, vehicles and ammunition.

The Syrian-Israeli Disengagement Agreement is a military-security understanding signed on May 31, 1974 in Geneva, under the auspices of the United Nations and with extensive mediation led by Henry Kissinger, with the aim of ending the state of direct confrontation that followed the October 1973 war.

The agreement is based on the drawing of three main lines in the Golan: the Alfa Line to the west, which is the limit that Syrian forces may not cross, which represents the scope of the Israeli presence; Between the two lines lies the buffer zone, which is under Syrian civil sovereignty, and is completely devoid of any military presence by both sides, according to which the city of Quneitra has returned to Syrian administration.

Behind the two lines, the agreement placed strict limits on the size of troops and armaments. At the first depth (10 kilometers), each side is allowed to deploy 6,000 troops, 75 tanks, and 36 short-range guns, and in the second depth (10-20 kilometers), tanks and artillery are allowed, but the deployment of any anti-aircraft missiles is prohibited to ensure that the other's airspace is not threatened.

In order to implement the Convention, the Security Council established the United Nations UNDOF Observer Force, which is deployed within the buffer zone and conducts regular inspection patrols to verify compliance with the terms of the Agreement and prevent any military breaches.