Syria informs Washington of its readiness to cooperate and return to the disengagement agreement with Israel.

Syria has announced its readiness to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, according to a Foreign Ministry statement, after Israel expressed interest in "normalizing" relations with Damascus.

Since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024, Syrian authorities have acknowledged indirect negotiations with Israel, which they say aim to contain the escalation after Tel Aviv launched hundreds of raids on Syria's military arsenal and its forces advanced into the south of the country.

Since coming to power, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has emphasized that Damascus does not seek escalation or conflict with its neighbors. He later called on the international community to pressure Israel to halt its attacks.

The statement, published Friday on the Foreign Ministry's Twitter account, stated that Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed, during a call with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, "Syria's aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement," noting that the two sides discussed "repeated Israeli attacks on southern Syria."

Damascus links the goal of indirect negotiations with Israel to a return to implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, including a cessation of hostilities and the supervision of a UN force in the demilitarized zone separating the two sides.

The New York Times quoted US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, as saying on Thursday that "Syria and Israel are holding serious talks, mediated by the United States, aimed at restoring calm on their border."

However, Israel has expressed interest in "normalization" with Damascus, according to statements by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

Sa'ar said Monday that his country has "an interest in including new countries, such as Syria and Lebanon," into the "circle of peace and normalization," stressing that the Golan Heights, parts of which Israel occupied in 1967 before annexing in 1981, will remain an "integral part" of Israel in any potential normalization agreement.

Commenting on this, an official Syrian source said on Wednesday that statements about signing a normalization agreement with Israel were "premature," as reported by Syrian state television.

The source added, "It is not possible to discuss the possibility of negotiating new agreements until the occupation fully adheres to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and withdraws from the areas into which it has penetrated."

The Syrian Foreign Ministry statement also stated that Washington had extended an invitation to "the Syrian Foreign Minister to visit Washington as soon as possible." According to the statement, Washington expressed its "desire" to reopen its embassy in Damascus.

The statement continued, "Discussions were held regarding the Syrian president's participation in the UN General Assembly meetings." The UN has yet to confirm Sharaa's participation in the General Assembly meetings.

He noted that the two sides discussed the "Iranian threat in Syria," with Damascus expressing its growing concern over Iran's attempts to interfere in Syrian affairs, particularly in the wake of the recent strikes against Tehran.