Syrian President Blames Israel for Stalled Peace Talks in Meeting with Trump

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa held a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week in Ankara, during which he attributed the deadlock in peace negotiations to Israel's refusal to commit to a withdrawal. According to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, al-Sharaa told Trump that Israel's insistence on excluding the term 'withdrawal' from any agreement halted the talks. "As long as Israel refuses to withdraw, why would we sign an agreement with them?" he said.

Al-Sharaa emphasized that Syria's stability depends on restoring full sovereignty over its territory, highlighting unresolved issues in southern Syria and al-Suwayda. He accused Israel of obstructing solutions in these areas. Regarding Trump's request for Syrian intervention against Hezbollah in Lebanon, al-Sharaa responded that Israel's ongoing occupation and attacks make disarming Hezbollah unrealistic and warned that forcing such a move could plunge the region into chaos, which he claimed is Israel's objective.

The report comes amid U.S. and Israeli officials' statements urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redeploy forces outside Syria and Lebanon. A senior U.S. official quoted Trump telling Netanyahu, "They don't want you there. You need to redeploy your forces."

In the same Ankara meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed a broad economic and regional initiative involving Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon to promote political and security stability. Erdogan told Trump that Israel's continued occupation and aggression in Syria and Lebanon are primary sources of instability, undermining efforts to restrain Iran's allies. He stressed the importance of a swift Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese and Syrian territories as a prerequisite for future security arrangements.

The Turkish-Qatari-backed initiative was reportedly developed over the past three weeks and discussed with the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrett, outlining a plan to foster regional stability through economic cooperation.