In a major development, Israel has announced it wants peace agreements with Lebanon and Syria, two countries it has been in conflict with for decades.
The statement was made by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who revealed on Monday that Israel is open to normalising relations with its neighbors, just like it did with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco under the 2020 Abraham Accords.
“We want Syria and Lebanon to join the peace circle, while still protecting our national security,” Saar said during a press conference in Jerusalem.
This announcement comes after big changes in the region — including the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon following recent conflicts.
Still, Saar made it clear that Israel would not give up the Golan Heights, a region it captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed. He stressed that this land would remain under Israeli control, even in future peace talks.
After Assad’s fall, Israel sent forces into the demilitarized zone in the Golan and carried out multiple strikes in Syria.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah, the powerful militant group, suffered losses after fighting with Israel last year, which was tied to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah last November, Israel has continued its strikes on the group.
So far, neither Syria nor Lebanon has responded to Israel’s peace proposal.
This new peace push follows a 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which ended just last week. According to U.S. officials, that ceasefire might mark the start of a new chapter for the Middle East.
“The region is tired of conflict. It’s time to build a new path,” said Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and envoy to Syria.
