Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said that the Golan Heights remain occupied Syrian territory and that any recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the area is illegitimate and harmful to Syrian rights. Speaking at a forum in Turkey, he emphasized that the land belongs to the Syrian people and cannot be relinquished.

Sharaa confirmed that negotiations with Israel are taking place in stages. The initial phase focuses on returning to the 1974 ceasefire lines established after the 1973 war, which functioned as the de facto border between the two countries for decades.

Israel captured the Golan Heights in 1967 and later annexed the territory, a move not recognized by much of the international community, except for the United States. Sharaa noted that the proposed deal would largely rely on recommitment to the 1974 agreement, with the Golan remaining under Israeli control for now, while longer-term negotiations would address the broader issue of the occupied territory.