Become a Member
Israel

JC Israel Briefing Day 567: A breakthrough with Syria?

Plus, IDF admits error over death of UN worker in Gaza

April 25, 2025 08:19
GettyImages-1093199762.jpg
Recent reports suggest normalisation between Israel and Syria is now a realistic prospect under the latter's new leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa (Image: Getty)

By

Nathan Jeffay,

In Israel

4 min read

This story first appeared as today’s Israel briefing newsletter. You can sign up to receive it daily here.

Syria might be prepared to make peace with Israel, the country’s new leader reportedly said yesterday. President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said he may be interested in joining the Abraham Accords, the peace agreements between Israel and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, during meetings with US Congressman Cory Mills, who was in Damascus last week for a fact-finding visit. Bloomberg reported Mills’s account of Al-Sharaa’s comments yesterday.

Al-Sharaa, who rose to power after the Iran-backed Assad regime was ousted in December, reportedly offered normalisation with Israel in exchange for lifting US economic sanctions. “The sanctions are crushing their economy,” Mills said.