In a bold and potentially historic pivot, Israel is pushing to expand its circle of peace and normalization, this time with its longtime enemies Syria and Lebanon. But a single ridge of volcanic rock—the Golan Heights—may determine whether the dream becomes reality or remains another chapter of Middle Eastern deadlock.
Saar: Israel Wants Peace with Lebanon and Syria
Speaking with unusual directness, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar declared Monday that Israel is “interested” in striking peace and normalization deals with Lebanon and Syria, signaling the clearest Israeli intent yet to end decades of hostility with its northern neighbors.
“Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accord circle of peace and normalization,” Saar told reporters, referencing the 2020 Trump-era agreements that saw Israel sign historic pacts with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. “We have an interest in adding countries, Syria and Lebanon, to the circle while safeguarding Israel’s essential and security interests.”
This is not mere diplomatic chatter: the prospect of peace with Damascus and Beirut would upend decades of regional dynamics, potentially unlocking new security, economic, and energy opportunities across the Eastern Mediterranean.
🚨 Israel Foreign Minister Saar: We want peace agreements with Syria and Lebanon. The Golan Heights will remain part of the State of Israel in any case
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) June 30, 2025
The Golan Heights: An Unmovable Obstacle?
But beneath the optimism lies an immovable boulder: the Golan Heights.
Israeli officials concede there is “serious doubt” that Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s new leader following the toppling of Bashar Assad in December, would agree to any peace deal without the return of the Golan, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981.
While the United States under President Trump recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan, the move has not gained international acceptance. For Damascus, reclaiming the Golan remains a deeply entrenched national demand—one that could derail peace before it begins.
However, unconfirmed reports out of Damascus say that al-Sharaa, who as a Jihadist went by the name Al-Jolani as a nod to the Golan region, is willing to concede the Heights Israel has annexed and recognize Israeli sovereignty over it in exchange for Israel pulling out of the areas it seized after Bashar Al-Assad fell. The question remains though if the reports are true, will al_Sharaa's forces who have been fighting for years against Assad with the goal of one day attacking Israel, concede the Golan as well considering they followed a man who used the Golan as his name to rally them to his flag.
According to LBCI, Syria is offering Israel the following peace treaty: Israel recognizes al-Julani's government and withdraws from the territories occupied since the fall of Assad. In return, Syria will recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Good deal?
— Uri Kurlianchik (@VerminusM) June 30, 2025
Secret Talks, American Pressure, and Trump’s Calculations
Multiple Israeli sources confirm that the United States has been informed of back-channel talks, which go beyond security arrangements and touch upon economic and political integration in the region.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close Netanyahu ally with deep ties to the Trump administration, is headed to Washington to discuss expanding the Abraham Accords to Syria and Lebanon, a move that would mark a diplomatic earthquake.
Get ready. Very soon, the leaders of Israel and Syria will walk into the White House, not as enemies but as partners, announcing full peace, normalization, and diplomatic ties. And right behind them? Two more Arab or Muslim countries. Yes, October 7 flipped the region on its…
— Amjad Taha أمجد طه (@amjadt25) June 29, 2025
On Fox News Sunday, President Trump revealed that “countries are lining up to join the Accords”, and surprisingly hinted he once believed even Iran might join, describing the Islamic Republic as “the primary problem.”
On Syria specifically, Trump was cautious:
“I don’t know, but I did take off the sanctions at the request of countries that are friends of ours, to give Syria a chance because the sanctions are biting.”
Al-Sharaa’s Wavering Inner Circle
According to leaks to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper, al-Sharaa is open to normalizing ties with Israel, but his own supporters are deeply divided.
“Pressure on the American mediator is building,” one Syrian source said, “to settle for an interim option: Israel withdraws from territories occupied post-Assad, while Syria declares an end to the state of war.”
But internal discord and the ever-present specter of Turkey loom over these discussions.
Turkey’s Veto Power and Regional Anxiety
Turkey, a NATO power with influence in northern Syria, opposes any Israeli foothold in Damascus, and factions aligned with Ankara fear Syria could slip under Israeli and Saudi influence, turning Damascus into a client capital for Jerusalem’s strategic and economic interests.
From War to Possible Peace
The Israeli-Syrian conflict is as old as Israel itself, dating back to the 1948 War of Independence. It saw bloody chapters in 1967 and 1973, with Israel occupying approximately 1,200 square kilometers of the Golan Heights—territory that became a symbol of Israeli security and a sore point of Arab grievance.
While the Golan remains the linchpin, growing signs suggest that a peace agreement between Israel and Syria by the end of 2025 is no longer unthinkable.
If Israel succeeds in extending the Abraham Accords to Damascus and Beirut, it would redefine the region’s future, transform Israel’s northern security challenges, and signal that even the Middle East’s most intractable conflicts are not beyond resolution.
Bottom Line
Israel is pushing the boundaries of possibility, seeking peace where war has reigned for 77 years. Yet, the question remains: Will a rocky plateau conquered in six days and a cherished part of Israel since then, decide the fate of a peace that could last for generations?
