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The United States has presented Israel and Syria with a new proposal for a security agreement that includes establishing a joint economic zone along both sides of the border, a U.S. official told Axios on Tuesday.
The proposal emerged during several hours of negotiations in Paris, marking the fifth round of U.S.-mediated talks between the two countries. Both parties agreed to accelerate the pace of negotiations going forward, according to Israeli and U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and President Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner mediated the talks, which officials described as productive after a two-month stalemate.
"The talks were very good and candid. Our theme was cooperation instead of repudiation," the U.S. official said.
The Trump administration views the agreement as crucial for stabilizing the security situation along the Israel-Syria border and as a first step toward future diplomatic normalization between the two countries.
President Trump personally urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return to negotiations during their meeting last week in Florida, helping to break the impasse that had frozen talks since November.
A senior Israeli official said both countries expressed interest in reaching a security agreement. "Both countries expressed a desire to reach a security agreement under President Trump's vision for the Middle East," the official said.
The U.S. proposal calls for creating a joint U.S.-Israeli-Syrian "fusion cell" based in Amman, Jordan, to oversee the security situation in southern Syria and host further discussions on demilitarization and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
"We freeze all military activities on both sides where they are until we work out details in the fusion cell," the U.S. official said, describing the plan.
Each side would send representatives to the fusion cell to focus on diplomatic talks, military matters, intelligence sharing and commercial ties, according to the U.S. official, who added that the fusion cell would serve as "the engine of the process" with the United States acting as a round-the-clock intermediary.
The proposed demilitarized economic zone resembles a similar concept the Trump administration has floated for the Donbas region to address territorial disputes between Ukraine and Russia.
"This economic zone will include wind farms, agriculture, the best ski mountain in the Middle East and the Druze community that is the best at hospitality," the U.S. official said.
Regional partners have already committed financing for the project, though the U.S. official declined to identify specific countries.
The Israeli negotiating team included Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter; Netanyahu's military secretary, Roman Gofman; and Acting National Security Adviser Gil Reich. The Syrian delegation consisted of Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Intelligence Chief Hussein Salameh.
The parties agreed to hold more frequent meetings and implement confidence-building measures as they work toward a comprehensive security agreement.
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