(MENAFN) Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated on Tuesday that a final peace agreement with Israel hinges on Israel withdrawing to its pre-Dec. 8 borders, noting that the United States and several international partners support Syria’s position.

In an interview, Sharaa said Damascus and Tel Aviv are engaged in “direct negotiations” and have “gone a good distance” toward reaching an accord. “But to reach a final agreement, Israel should withdraw to their pre-Dec. 8 borders,” he emphasized.

Sharaa added that Washington and other global actors back Syria’s stance, with US President Donald Trump “supporting our perspective as well, and he will push as quickly as possible in order to reach a solution.”

The Syrian leader accused Israel of “expansionist ambitions,” claiming that over 1,000 airstrikes had been carried out on Syrian territory since Dec. 8, when Bashar al-Assad left for Russia, ending nearly 25 years of his rule and concluding the Baath Party’s dominance since 1963.

“Because we want to rebuild Syria, we didn’t respond to these aggressions,” Sharaa said.

His comments followed a historic visit to the White House on Monday, where he met Trump—the first time a Syrian leader has visited the U.S. capital since Syria’s independence nearly 80 years ago. The meeting signaled a potential shift in relations, as Damascus seeks the complete lifting of Caesar sanctions imposed in 2019 in response to the Assad regime’s human rights abuses.

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