Damascus, Syria — A week after Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa signaled openness to joining the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, the Syrian government has officially backtracked, citing Israel’s continued occupation of Syrian territory as a fundamental barrier to normalization.
Damascus, Syria — A week after Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa signaled openness to joining the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, the Syrian government has officially backtracked, citing Israel’s continued occupation of Syrian territory as a fundamental barrier to normalization.
According to a Sunday night report from a Syrian news outlet, Damascus sent a formal letter to the United States declaring its withdrawal from any normalization efforts with Israel. Syrian government sources emphasized that the Abraham Accords are tailored for “countries whose lands Israel does not occupy,” and thus Syria, with the Golan Heights still under Israeli control, “cannot be a part of them.”
The diplomatic reversal follows a controversial visit to Damascus by U.S. Congressman Corey Mills, who met with President Al-Sharaa to discuss potential sanction relief. During the meeting, Al-Sharaa expressed conditional interest in joining the accords, contingent on Israeli withdrawal from occupied Syrian lands and other security guarantees.
However, shortly after these statements, Israel launched a military airstrike targeting areas near the presidential palace in Damascus late Saturday night. The attack, which Syrian officials described as “a deliberate escalation,” appears to have hardened the Syrian leadership’s stance.
In response, President Al-Sharaa issued a sharp condemnation and called on the international community, particularly Arab nations, to “stand by Syria in confronting this hostile aggression, which violates international laws and conventions.”
The latest developments mark a sharp turn in the region’s shifting diplomatic landscape. While several Arab countries have embraced normalization with Israel in recent years through the Abraham Accords, Syria’s position remains complicated by historical animosities, territorial disputes, and ongoing military confrontations.
Analysts suggest that the recent Israeli strike was not only a security operation but a signal of rejection toward Syria’s conditional approach to normalization. It has now pushed Damascus firmly back into a defensive posture, potentially closing the window for further diplomatic engagement in the near term.
As tensions mount, regional observers warn that any further escalation could trigger broader instability, especially amid fragile alliances and unresolved territorial conflicts that continue to plague the region.
