WASHINGTON

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Tuesday that a final peace deal between Syria and Israel requires Israel’s withdrawal to its pre-Dec. 8 borders, emphasizing that the US and several international partners back Syria’s position.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Sharaa said Damascus and Tel Aviv are engaged in “direct negotiations” and have “gone a good distance” toward reaching an agreement.

“But to reach a final agreement, Israel should withdraw to their pre-Dec. 8 borders,” he said.

Sharaa said Washington and several international actors support Syria’s perspective in this regard, adding that US President Donald Trump “supports 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,” saying it had carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Syrian territory since Dec. 8, when Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia, ending the Baath Party’s rule since 1963.

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

Sharaa's remarks came after his historic meeting on Monday with Trump at the White House, the first visit by a Syrian leader since the country's independence nearly 80 years ago.

The visit marked a major shift in relations as Damascus seeks the full lifting of Caesar sanctions on Syria, which were imposed in 2019 in response to the Assad regime's atrocities.