Syria and Israel will hold security talks in Baku

Another security meeting between Syria and Israel is scheduled for Thursday in Baku, reports Sky News Arabia.

Meanwhile, Axios reported that Israel has presented Syria with a proposal for a new security agreement. The proposed security agreement includes Syrian territory extending southwest from Damascus to the border with Israel.

Two informed sources also reported that the Israeli proposal presented to Syria is based on the peace treaty concluded by Israel with Egypt in 1979. This agreement divided the Sinai Peninsula into three zones and defined various security measures and different levels of demilitarization depending on the distance from the Israeli border.

According to the proposal, the territory southwest of Damascus will be divided into three zones, in each of which the Syrians will be able to maintain different levels of forces and types of weapons.

The proposal also provides for the expansion of the buffer zone by two kilometers on the Syrian side.

According to Axios, the proposal stipulates that no military forces and heavy weapons will be allowed in the strip adjacent to the buffer zone and closest to the border with Israel on the Syrian side. However, Syria will be allowed to maintain a police and internal security forces presence.

A source familiar with the details reported that according to the proposal, the entire territory southwest of Damascus to the border with Israel will be designated as a no-fly zone for Syrian aircraft.

In exchange for these restrictions on the Syrian side, Israel offered a gradual withdrawal of troops from all territories it has occupied in Syria over the past few months, except for the forward position on the strategic summit of Mount Hermon, on which Israel insists on maintaining a presence in any future agreement.

The source noted that one of the main principles of the Israeli proposal is to maintain an air corridor to Iran through Syria, which would allow Israel to potentially strike Iran in the future.

He explained that Israel presented the proposal for a security agreement several weeks ago, but Syria has not yet responded. In recent weeks, Damascus has been working on a counter-proposal.

He also noted that Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Sheibani intend to discuss this proposal on Wednesday in London together with US envoy Tom Barrack, who is mediating between the two countries, at the third trilateral meeting of this kind.

The site, citing an informed Israeli source, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed interest in arranging a meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September, however, according to the official, the likelihood of this happening at this stage is low.