US envoy Barrack 'reaches understandings' with Netanyahu on Syria and Lebanon

US envoy to Syria and Lebanon Tom Barrack visited Israel on Monday, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar for talks on Syria, Lebanon, and other regional issues.

Barrack and Netanyahu reached several understandings regarding Syria, where Israeli forces have launched a series of aggressions, along with discussions on Turkey’s influence in the region and normalisation with Saudi Arabia, according to Israeli media reports.

Barrack and Netanyahu had agreed on Israel’s "freedom of operation" in Syria, while also continuing efforts to reach a "security deal" between Syria and Israel, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has seized land in Syria beyond the Golan Heights, which it occupied in 1967. It has launched frequent and deadly attacks on towns in southwestern Syria, while openly stating its intention to divide Syria on ethnic and sectarian lines.

Israeli officials at the meeting reportedly told their US counterparts that Syrian security forces “cannot be relied upon” citing the attack last Saturday in which a Syrian security force member, believed to be a member of the Islamic State extremist group, killed two US soldiers and a translator near Palmyra in the Syrian Desert.

US officials reportedly requested that Israel coordinate its activities in Syria with Syrian government forces and give them a chance to impose order in the country.

Earlier, Israeli media reported that Barrack would discuss “red lines” with Netanyahu regarding Syria, in an effort to prevent escalation.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the US administration viewed Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa as “an ally seeking to achieve stability and move the Syrian state forward” and was opposed to attempts to undermine his rule. It added that the US feared Israeli attacks in Syria could contribute to this.

Barrack and Netanyahu also discussed the dialogue between Lebanon and Israel, with Israeli and US officials reportedly reaching an agreement to continue this push. Lebanese and Israeli civilian officials have recently held direct talks for the first time in decades.

However, Israel has continued to occupy five strategic points in Lebanon and launched frequent and deadly strikes on the country, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah but killing scores of civilians, despite a ceasefire in place since November 2024.

According to officials who took part in the talks, the US and Israel agreed that Israel "has the right to defend itself effectively, meaning to attack organisations and militants as long as they pose a real threat", suggesting that the US would continue to support Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

In addition, Barrack and Netanyahu reportedly discussed Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with Netanyahu reiterating his opposition to the possibility of Turkish forces being deployed to Gaza, while also expressing disappointment that talks on a possible normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia had not progressed.