Netanyahu, Sharaa, plan to meet in Washington in September
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa are expected to meet at the White House ahead of the UN General Assembly in September, i24NEWS reported on Tuesday, citing a Syrian source close to Sharaa.
During the meeting, Netanyahu and Sharaa are slated to sign a security agreement "under the patronage" of US President Donald Trump, the report stated.
Such a meeting would be a major step towards a normalization agreement between Israel and Syria.
Additionally, Gulf sources told i24NEWS that the UAE is continuing its "extensive mediation efforts" between Israel and Syria.
A major obstacle is Israel's fear of withdrawing forces from the extended buffer zone in the Golan Heights in the coming months due to concerns that Sharaa has not fully established control over all the armed factions in Syria, particularly in the south of the country, the Gulf sources told i24NEWS.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli officials denied a claim from Syrian outlet Al-Jumhuriya that Sharaa met Israel's National Security Council head, Tzahi Hanegbi, in Abu Dhabi.
Sources told the outlet that, allegedly, this was not "the first such meeting" to take place.
Israel noted that Hanegbi is in Washington as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's delegation visiting the US.
Al-Sharaa's administration has made it clear that under any agreement, Israel will not be permitted to operate or strike targets within Syrian territory. Israel, on the other hand, insists on retaining the ability to address security threats, particularly in scenarios where, as demanded by the Damascus administration, Israel withdraws from the buffer zones.
On Tuesday, Trump's administration revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on Monday, in a move that aims to help the country rebuild following years of civil war.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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