Just a few months ago, few would have believed that Damascus and Tel Aviv could find themselves on the verge of signing a security pact after more than half a century of hostility. A US-brokered, Gulf-backed agreement is reportedly close, with an announcement penciled in for Sept. 25 at the UN General Assembly. Bashar Assad's downfall in December 2024 tore up the region's assumptions, leading to Ahmad Al-Sharaa's rise to power and a potential nonaggression pact between Syria and Israel.