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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar declared Monday that Israel will retain control of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights regardless of any future peace agreement with Syria, as diplomatic discussions continue about expanding Middle East normalization efforts.
"Israel ruled over the Golan Heights more than 40 years ago, and it will remain as part of Israel under any peace agreement," Saar said during a joint press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger in West Jerusalem.
Saar expressed Israel's interest in bringing Syria and Lebanon into what he described as "the circle of peace and normalization," referencing the Abraham Accords framework, though he provided no specific details about potential negotiations.
The comments come as regional dynamics have shifted following major political changes in Syria. President Donald Trump indicated Sunday that several countries have expressed interest in joining the normalization agreements between Arab nations and Israel established under the Abraham Accords.
The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States in 2020, saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco establish diplomatic relations with Israel, marking a significant realignment in Middle East diplomacy.
Israel has occupied most of Syria's Golan Heights since 1967. The territory's status became more complicated following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government 2024, when Israel expanded its presence into the Syrian buffer zone and declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria no longer valid.
Assad, who governed Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December after his government fell, ending the Baath Party's control that had lasted since 1963. Syria now operates under a transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, which was established in January.
The Golan Heights remains a contentious issue in regional diplomacy, with the international community generally viewing the territory as occupied Syrian land under international law.
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