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Syria wants to annex parts of Lebanon in exchange for relinquishing part of the occupied Golan Heights to Israel, Hebrew media reported on July 4.
The reports coming out from Israel, which claim that there are currently two proposals on the table, say that Syria is eyeing city of Tripoli, along with other areas in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley the east of the country.
Syria’s Islamist-led Interim Government is demanding the return of one-third of the Golan Heights territory that Israel occupied before the 1974 disengagement agreement, according to the reports.
i24NEWS quote source said to be close to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as saying that “the return of parts of the Golan Heights … is critical for domestic public opinion to support such a step”.
The source added that Israel must return one-third of the territory it captured before 1974, stating: “There is no such thing as peace for free.”
In one of the two proposals currently being discussed, Israel would annex one-third of the Golan, return one-third to Syria, and lease the remaining third from Damascus for 25 years.
The second scenario would, however, see Israel keep two-thirds of the Golan Heights and return the remaining third to Syria, also under a potential lease arrangement. In this version, Syria would also be granted control over Tripoli parts of the Bekaa Valley.
According to i24NEWS’ source, Syria wants to restore sovereignty over the Sunni-majority Tripoli, calling it “one of five regions severed from Syria during the French Mandate to establish the Lebanese state”.
This proposed settlement would also involve transferring Tripoli and surrounding predominantly Sunni areas to Syria, in exchange for permitting Israel to construct a pipeline from the Euphrates River as part of a trilateral water-sharing agreement with Turkey and Syria, the source added.
The source also claimed that Sharaa had shown “unprecedented openness” and had opened direct communication channels with Israel for security and military coordination in southern Syria.
He emphasized that reigning parts of the occupied Golan, along with other Syrian territories seized by Israel after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad last December, was essential for winning domestic support for any peace agreement. Without it, Sharaa could face internal resistance, he warned.
Even if Syria was able to secure the support of many Sunnis in Tripoli, the Lebanese government would never let go of any of its territories. Thus, the execution of any such agreement will require Sharaa to go to war against Lebanon.
Even with support from Israel and the United States, this won’t be an easy task for Syria as the Lebanese, especially Shia, Alawites and Christancs are guaranteed to put on a fight.
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