714 - Lazar Berman: An Israel-Syria security pact in the Jewish New Year?

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

The Times of Israel

News

4.5 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Wednesday this week that ongoing negotiations with Israel to reach a security pact could lead to results “in the coming days.” However, later on Wednesday, an Israeli foreign ministry official told AFP that Syria will seal several security and military agreements with Israel by the end of the year.

Despite the discrepancy in timing, it is clear that both countries are interested and invested in completing a security pact in the near future.

On this week's Friday Focus, Berman reviews other previous pacts with Syria -- and attempts -- throughout Israel's history. We learn how the civil war in Syria and the fall of the Assad regime have recalibrated how Israel operates inside its neighbor to the north. And we hear about the conflicting Israeli feelings in losing a strong leader who kept the border relatively quiet.

Finally, Berman discusses what Israel may demand from Syria -- where it's willing to withdraw and where it decidedly will not.

Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Lazar Berman (courtesy) / Syria's President Ahmad Al-Sharaa in Damascus, September 12, 2025. (SANA/AFP)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to the Times of Israel's Friday Focus.
0:04.6	I'm your host, Amanda Borchelle Dan, here with their diplomatic correspondent, Lazer, Behrman.
0:09.8	Laser, thank you so much for joining me in our Jerusalem office today.
0:13.2	Good to be here, as always, Amanda, and hello to all of our listeners across the globe.
0:17.9	Hello to all of our listeners.
0:19.7	And, Leisure, I haven't asked you this yet,
0:21.5	but where are you spending Roche Chanel, which is coming up next week? I will be in Jerusalem,
0:27.3	in my home, and I will be the Lainer, the Balcora, the person reading the Torah for both days
0:33.7	in my synagogue. So for anyone wanting to check out your wonderful vocal prowess, where
0:40.2	should they go? They should go to the Nizanim Synagogue on Asher Street in Jerusalem. Excellent.
0:45.8	I won't be there. I think you know that, but I will be there in spirit for you. I appreciate that,
0:51.4	and I think seats are like 500 shackles. so not for me, for, you know,
0:55.3	to have a reserve place for the high holidays, but you do get a couple minutes of me as well.
0:59.8	For the peasants, 500 shackles of the spot. Okay, not bad, not bad. All right, so, Laser,
1:04.9	we today are going to speak about rumors, at least, or hopes that Israel will soon create some kind of peace agreement, some kind of peace pact with Syria.
1:16.8	And in fact, on Wednesday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara said that ongoing negotiations with Israel to reach such a security pact could lead to results, quote, in the coming days.
1:31.1	But later on Wednesday, an Israeli foreign ministry official told AFP that Syria will seal
1:37.2	several security and military agreements with Israel by the end of the year.
1:42.3	So the question is, Laser.
1:44.8	Were they talking about the Jewish year or the secular year?
1:48.9	That's a very good question.
1:51.0	So the Jewish year would be very, very quick.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times of Israel, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Times of Israel and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.