Syrian FM from Qatar: No peace while Israel holds territory in Syria
Shafaq News – Doha / Damascus
Israel’s continued control of Syrian territory makes any peace agreement impossible, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani said on Sunday.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Doha Forum in Qatar, Al-Shibani reaffirmed Damascus’ commitment to the 1974 disengagement accord—the post-war agreement that established a ceasefire line on the Golan front and created a UN-monitored buffer zone (UNDOF) to prevent direct clashes between the two sides.
He stressed that Syria requires internal security anchored in regional stability, noting that the country’s foreign policy avoids rigid alignments and benefits from what he described as “international will” backing a political settlement.
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said President Donald Trump had decided to give transitional President Ahmed Al-Sharaa an opportunity, contending that previous Western strategies toward the Middle East had been misguided.
Separately, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, reported that Qatari institutions have begun coordinating their activities in Syria with the new government, expressing concern over the evolving security situation. He said that Doha discussed the matter with Barrack and underscored the need for Israeli strikes in Syria to cease.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, Israel has expanded operations inside Syria, carrying out over 405 ground incursions and 810 airstrikes against weapons depots, vehicles, and armed groups, while deepening its presence in buffer zones established under the 1974 disengagement agreement.
Read more: Syria's shifting stance: Is normalization with Israel on the horizon?
