Overview

• Speaking in New York, Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa warned of new regional turmoil without a sovereignty‑preserving deal and accused Israel of stalling negotiations while violating airspace and carrying out incursions.
• U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack said a de‑escalation agreement is close, describing terms under which Israel would pause attacks if Syria keeps heavy equipment away from the frontier, with talks slowed by the Rosh Hashana holiday.
• Al‑Sharaa said any arrangement should draw on the 1974 armistice framework and address Israeli airstrikes and the pullback of forces, after claiming more than 1,000 strikes and over 400 incursions since Assad’s ouster.
• Israeli officials have defended operations as counterterrorism and protection for the Druze minority, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated there is still “a ways to go” before an agreement is reached.
• Al‑Sharaa is set to be the first Syrian head of state to address the U.N. General Assembly in 58 years, as diplomats voice skepticism over Syria’s reintegration given sanctions, governance concerns and human‑rights issues.