Netanyahu Proposes Syria Security Deal with Buffer Zone

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that his government is open to a security agreement with Syria but insisted on the creation of a demilitarized buffer zone extending from Damascus to the Israeli-controlled area around Mount Hermon to safeguard Israel's northern border. The remarks came amid heightened tensions following an Israeli military raid last week in the southern Syrian village of Beit Jinn, where at least 13 people were killed, and as U.S. President Donald Trump urged both nations to pursue dialogue and avoid actions that could derail Syria's stabilization.

The raid on November 28 targeted suspected members of Jamaa Islamiya, a Lebanon-based Islamist group linked to attacks on Israel, according to Israeli military officials. The operation escalated into a firefight when armed individuals returned fire, wounding six Israeli soldiers. Syrian state media reported that 10 of the casualties were civilians, including women and children, and local officials described the village as home to a peaceful population with no militants present. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the incursion as a criminal attack and a violation of sovereignty, while...