Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked the United States to mediate in negotiations with Syria that would lead to a complete peace agreement, according to an Axios report on Wednesday.

According to the report, Netanyahu told US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack that he is interested in negotiating with Syria's interim government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa. 

If such negotiations did occur, it would be the first time Damascus and Jerusalem held official talks since 2011. 

The Axios report noted that Israeli officials are weighing the negotiations after Iranian-backed forces departed from Syria. 

Last week, a senior Israeli official told Axios that al-Sharaa appears to be more aligned with the US and Saudi Arabia than Turkey and Iran. 

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa looks on, in Aleppo, Syria, May 27, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/KHALIL ASHAWI)
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa looks on, in Aleppo, Syria, May 27, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/KHALIL ASHAWI)
Netanyahu believes that al-Sharaa's aspirations to gain closer ties to the US create a diplomatic opportunity with Syria. 

"We want to try and move towards normalization with Syria as soon as possible," the official told Axios. 

Syria is reportedly more in line with the US and Saudi Arabia 

"It is better for us that the Syrian government is close to the US and Saudi Arabia," the official said. 

An Israeli official said that Netanyahu aims to reach a set of agreements, beginning with an updated security deal based on the 1974 disengagement of forces agreement. The prime minister reportedly wishes to see the talks end with a peace deal between the countries.

A US official told Axios that Israeli officials presented Barrack with their boundaries for a deal with Syria: No Turkish military bases in the country, demilitarization in southern Syria, and no resurgence of Iranian-backed terror groups in the country.

Israeli officials noted to the envoy that the IDF will remain present on the Syrian border until an agreement is signed. 

Barrack visited Israel last week and Syria the week prior, and called tensions between the two countries "a solvable problem." He stressed that Damascus and Jerusalem should "start with just a non-aggression agreement."

"I can assure you the President's vision with the Secretary's execution is not only hopeful but achievable," Barrack wrote on X/Twitter. 

Axios noted that officials would eventually have to discuss the Golan Heights, but noted that Sharaa is reportedly more open to striking a deal with Israel.