President Donald Trump announced Monday that his administration is coordinating closely with Israel to establish improved relations with Syria.
Following his White House meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump told reporters, “People say he’s had a rough past. We’ve all had a rough past.”
The president emphasized that his rapport with Sharaa is strong and said he believes the Syrian leader is capable of carrying out his responsibilities effectively.
In Damascus, the Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a statement after the meeting confirming that Washington had expressed its commitment to advancing a security arrangement between Israel and Syria.
Sharaa, addressing journalists in the Syrian capital, noted that discussions with Israel regarding a potential security framework could produce “results in the coming days.”
He further explained that if the talks prove fruitful, it might pave the way for “additional agreements,” though he was careful to stress that neither normalization nor a full peace accord with Israel is currently being considered.
A report released in August indicated that the Trump administration had been working behind the scenes to craft a preliminary security understanding between Jerusalem and Damascus before the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session.
Nonetheless, U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack later downplayed the notion that an accord was near, stating that “there is still more work to do.”
{Matzav.com}
