Syrian President al-Sharaa: 'Not Appropriate' That October 7 Sets Israel's Syria Policy, Says Talks Reached Nearly 90% Agreement

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, speaking at an Atlantic Council panel on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, said 'it is not appropriate that what happened on October 7 sets the policy for Syria,' adding 'this is not logical, and this brings more security threats.' Al-Sharaa argued Israel's post-October-7 security posture was 'creating problems around it in order to maintain its security, and this is not working,' while separately disclosing that direct Syria-Israel negotiations, conducted with American involvement, had at one point reached 'almost 90%' agreement, though he cautioned 'we are not saying that there will be lasting peace right now.' The remarks were his most direct public linkage yet of October 7's lasting influence on Israeli threat perception to the stalled state of Syrian-Israeli normalization talks.