The negotiations, which have been underway for months with US mediation in cities such as Baku, Paris, and London, have made significant progress in recent weeks, with a view to a possible announcement during the current session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

However, Israel’s demand for a land crossing for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Sweida, in the south of the Arab country, was rejected by the Syrian side, which considers the request to be direct interference and a violation of its national sovereignty.

Diplomatic sources in Washington and Israeli officials confirmed that Tel Aviv reintroduced this demand at an advanced stage of the negotiations, which hampered the announcement of the agreement planned for this week.

A senior Syrian official noted that the recent talks were “positive,” although there have been no new direct meetings with Israeli representatives since the start of the UN General Assembly.

For his part, Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Ibrahim Olabi told international media that the discussions have entered an advanced stage and that “the ball is in Israel’s court” regarding a possible security agreement.

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