HTS, Israel hold secret talks on swapping Lebanon's Shebaa Farms with Syria's Golan: Report
Iran Press TV
Thursday, 28 August 2025 4:56 PM
Israeli media reports have revealed covert negotiations between Israel and Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led administration concerning a potential territorial exchange involving the Golan Heights and the Shebaa Farms.
The discussions reportedly explore HTS handing over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in exchange for Israel transferring the contested Shebaa Farms area to Damascus.
Israel's Kan channel cited sources indicating that the deal would require approval from 80 members of the Knesset.
A Syrian source close to HTS suggested that linking the Shebaa Farms issue to the Golan Heights might be considered only after a formal agreement is reached, though another source said the matter is not currently on the negotiating table.
The Shebaa Farms area, located on the Lebanese border with Israeli-occupied territory, is widely recognized as Lebanese territory.
Since it does not directly border Syria, any transfer of the area to Damascus would violate international law and further complicate Lebanon's fragile political and security situation.
Hezbollah, the dominant Lebanese resistance movement has reiterated its right to resume resistance operations in Shebaa Farms, rejecting any attempts to alter the status quo.
The group has also condemned Western support for Israel's recent military campaigns in Gaza and reiterated its refusal to disarm, denouncing the Lebanese government's efforts to force disarmament as "illegitimate" and "high treason."
The HTS administration, which occupied Damascus following the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's government in December, is a Takfiri group with origins linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
Despite its brutal track record, HTS has recently been courted by Western powers.
During a regional visit, US President Donald Trump announced plans to lift sanctions on the HTS administration in return for normalization with Israel.
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, HTS's leader, has pledged to recognize Israel and establish diplomatic ties by the end of 2026, signaling a dramatic shift for a group long designated as a terrorist organization.
The momentum toward normalization stalled after HTS forces were accused of massacring hundreds of Druze civilians in Sweida province, an event that Israel cited as justification for opening a corridor to the region.
Critics argue that the United States and Israel are exploiting HTS's control in Syria to promote instability and further their strategic ambitions in the region.
Amid these developments, the de facto HTS foreign minister held US-brokered talks with an Israeli delegation in Paris, marking a controversial diplomatic breakthrough.
Human rights organizations report nearly 10,000 violent deaths since HTS's rise to power, with targeted attacks on minorities including Alawites, Druze, and Christians underscoring the group's brutal governance.
Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its military footprint in southwest Syria, conducting hundreds of airstrikes aimed at weakening Damascus's capabilities under the HTS-dominated regime.
The proposal to swap the Shebaa Farms for the Golan Heights marks yet another watershed in Israel's ongoing colonial expansion.
By seeking to legitimize its occupation of the Golan Heights through secret deals with Syria's extremist HTS rulers, Israel is further entrenching its illegal territorial gains while deepening divisions within the Arab world.
This territorial exchange not only undermines Lebanese sovereignty over Shebaa Farms but also sets a dangerous precedent that rewards occupation and forced demographic changes.
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