Netanyahu-Sharaa meeting highly possible next Monday: Israeli media
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Netanyahu and Syria's Ahmad al-Sharaa may meet at the White House as the US pushes for an Israeli-Syrian security agreement.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025 (AP)
A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Syria's transitional phase, Ahmad al-Sharaa, is reportedly set to take place at the White House in Washington next Monday, according to a high-level Israeli source cited by the i24News channel, who assessed the likelihood of the meeting as "very high".
On Tuesday, the i24News political correspondent, Guy Azriel, indicated that this development comes amid intense American pressure on both "Israel" and Syria to sign a security agreement.
According to a Monday announcement from the US Department of State, al-Sharaa previously met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York, where they discussed US priorities in Syria and Israeli-Syrian relations, among other topics.
On September 21, "Israel's" Channel 13 reported that an agreement had been reached on most of the points or items in the security deal being formulated with Syria, while noting that the main point of contention remains the freedom of operation for the Israeli Air Force in Syrian airspace.
Al-Sharaa had previously suggested that an agreement with "Israel", mediated by the United States, would likely be signed in the coming days, stating in an interview with Turkish media that it would be similar to the 1974 agreement.
He further stated that while the recent Israeli strike on the Syrian Ministry of Defense constitutes an act of war, a security agreement has, under the current regional circumstances, become an unavoidable necessity.
Israeli media outlets reported on September 18 that a lengthy meeting took place in London between Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and al-Shaibani, with Barrack mediating.
According to Israeli outlets, the five-hour meeting included Syria’s formal response to an Israeli proposal for a security agreement. The same reports, however, suggested skepticism in Tel Aviv, with i24NEWS noting that chances of reaching a deal in the near future had receded despite what it called “intensive intervention” by US President Donald Trump.
