Syria's leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, says he seeks a peace agreement with Israel.

The new president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, expressed his willingness to move toward a normalization of ties with Israel, according to U.S. Congressman Cory Mills in an interview with Bloomberg conducted on Thursday, after having a meeting with Sharaa in Syria last week.

Mills detailed that during the meeting, they discussed the possible conditions for lifting the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on the Syrian regime, as well as the possibility of reaching a peace agreement with Israel.

According to the Republican legislator, Sharaa expressed that Syria would be willing to consider its adherence to the Abraham Accords, provided that "the right conditions" are met.

According to Cory Mills, the Syrian leader would also be willing to explain how he plans to address the presence of foreign Islamic terrorists who still remain active in Syria, and to offer guarantees to Israel, which keeps a strong distrust toward the new leadership in Damascus and rejects any attempt to ease the sanctions.

The new Islamist government of Syria intensified pressure on the United States and European countries to achieve the total lifting of sanctions, with the aim of reviving an economy deeply deteriorated after more than a decade of civil war.

Mills, who is part of the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees in the House of Representatives, traveled along with Congressman Marlin Stutzman from Indiana to the Syrian capital last Friday. The visit marked the first arrival of U.S. legislators in Syria since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December by a rebel offensive led by Islamist sectors.

In a conversation with Bloomberg, Mills indicated that he will bring President Donald Trump a letter written by Sharaa, although he did not provide details about its content. He also assured that he will report on his trip to both the president and the national security advisor, Mike Waltz.

Both Cory Mills and Marlin Stutzman, Republican congressmen aligned with President Donald Trump, toured areas of Damascus severely affected by years of conflict, held meetings with representatives of the local Christian community, and expressed their intention to engage in dialogue with other members of the Syrian cabinet.

"We are facing a unique opportunity; these occasions don't repeat themselves", Stutzman stated to Reuters. "I don't want Syria to end up under China's influence, nor to fall back into the hands of Russia and Iran", he added, making clear his concern about the geopolitical balance in the region.

The conditions for negotiation

According to sources reported to Reuters last month, among the conditions set by the United States to begin lifting the sanctions imposed on Syria are the total elimination of any remaining chemical arsenal and active collaboration in the fight against terrorism.

In exchange for meeting these requirements, Washington would be willing to partially ease economic sanctions. One of the concrete measures would be to extend for two years the current exemption that allows transactions with Syrian state entities, and the possibility of implementing a new exemption is also being evaluated.

Additionally, the U.S. government would issue a statement reaffirming its support for Syria's territorial integrity. However, no deadline was set for meeting the conditions.

Meanwhile, Israel has repeatedly expressed its distrust toward Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group led by Ahmed al-Sharaa that managed to overthrow Bashar al-Assad. The organization, which was originally linked to Al Qaeda until breaking ties in 2016, is seen by the Israeli government as a threat, and it has expressed its determination to prevent Syria from falling under the control of hostile regimes.

The demands could range from operational requests—such as troop withdrawal or cessation of hostilities—to more sensitive strategic issues, like the future situation of the Golan Heights, where options range from an Israeli withdrawal to the declaration of a demilitarized zone or joint administration.

As an indication that the new Syrian leadership might be willing to take concrete actions, Palestinian media reported on Tuesday that Sharaa's regime arrested Khaled Khaled, responsible for the Syrian link in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization, and Abu Ali Yasser, a key member of the group's executive committee in Damascus.

In a statement, the Islamic Jihad expressed its surprise at the arrests, stating that they occurred "in an unexpected manner" for a country like Syria.