Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated on Tuesday that the Israeli army will remain on the summit of Mount Hermon amid talks about a possible security agreement between Israel and Syria. He added, “We will stay in the necessary security zone to protect the Golan and Galilee from what he called threats posed by the Syrian past, considering this the main lesson from the events of October 7. We will also continue protecting the Druze in Syria,” according to the Palestinian Ma’an agency.

Earlier, Israeli channel i24 reported that the U.S. administration is preparing to announce security understandings between Israel and Syria, planned before the new session of the UN General Assembly in September. The source explained that the chances of reaching “specific agreements” on security issues between the two sides are “present” by that date if negotiations continue at the current pace, according to Sky News Arabia.

In statements attributed to U.S. Middle East envoy Tom Barrack, he said Israel and Syria “are negotiating in good faith” on a potential security agreement but emphasized that the two sides “have not yet come close to signing it” and “more work is still required” before reaching a final formula.

These moves come after rounds of U.S.-led mediation involving meetings with Israeli and Syrian officials, aiming to reduce escalation in southern Syria and open mutual humanitarian and security channels, amid expectations to discuss demilitarized zone arrangements or broader border understandings in the coming weeks.

While Israeli and American reports speak of “tangible” progress at the back-channel level, diplomatic sources confirm that any potential announcement still depends on overcoming technical and political obstacles, with the path expected to become clearer before the New York meetings in September.