Israeli FM Gideon Sa'ar says open to establishing official ties with Syria, Lebanon

JERUSALEM — Israel is interested in establishing diplomatic relations with Syria and Lebanon but will not withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights as part of any future agreement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Monday.

Israel has no official diplomatic ties with Syria or Lebanon and has been in a state of hostility with both countries since 1948, when the State of Israel was established.

"Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accords and the circle of peace and normalization," Sa'ar said during a joint press conference in Jerusalem with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger.

"We have an interest in including countries such as Syria and Lebanon -- our neighbours -- in the circle of peace and normalisation, while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests," he said.

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"In any peace agreement, the Golan will remain part of the State of Israel," he added, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move not recognized by most of the international community.

Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, Israeli forces entered the UN-monitored demilitarized buffer zone in early December 2024 and later deployed troops on Mount Hermon, which overlooks both Israeli and Syrian territory. Israeli officials have said the forces are expected to remain there for an extended period.