Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that Israel and Syria are today further from reaching a security agreement than before, after Syria "raised new demands," during The Jerusalem Post conference in Washington on Wednesday.
"At the moment, the gaps between us and Syria (regarding a security agreement) have widened; they have raised new demands. Of course, we want an agreement, but we are now farther from reaching one than we were a few weeks ago," Sa'ar told the Post’s Diplomatic Correspondent Amichai Stein.
Sa'ar also explained that Iran is still the main threat to Israel and regional stability in the Middle East, pointing out that the nuclear threat is still unequivocal.
"Iran has not abandoned any of its strategic objectives, not its ballistic missile program, not its proxies, and not its nuclear ambitions,” he said. “We are following this closely, and we will not allow these capabilities to be restored.”
He also spoke about phase two of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
“At the heart of phase two is the disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza. These games of redefining what ‘disarmament’ means will be over. The international consensus is clear, and it will be enforced.”
Sa'ar talks Mideast terrorism at 'Post' conference
He added that the Palestinian Authority remains irrelevant unless it undertakes fundamental reforms.
“They continue to pay-for-slay and incitement. They know exactly what must change, and they have refused for years.”
On the Lebanon front, he blamed Hezbollah as the only obstacle to stability. “Hezbollah, not Israel, violates Lebanon’s sovereignty,” he said. “When Hezbollah is dismantled, only then will Lebanon finally be sovereign. The only thing standing between Israel and a possible peace with Lebanon is Hezbollah.”
“Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are the same problem: terrorist states. Unless they are dismantled and disarmed, there will be no security for Israel and no stability in the region,” he concluded.
Israel's strategy for Bolivia and Latin America
Sa'ar also highlighted a significant diplomatic breakthrough during the conference: the renewal of relations between Israel and Bolivia after 20 years.
He signaled this as part of a broader regional shift. “Renewing ties with Bolivia is only the beginning,” he said. “We are at the start of a new wave in Latin America — a shift away from the far left toward governments ready to stand with Israel.”
Bolivia’s left-wing government of Evo Morales broke diplomatic ties with Israel in 2009 during Operation Cast Lead, which came in response to Hamas rocket attacks.
Relations were restored in 2019 after Morales was forced to resign and a right-wing government came to power, but his successor, Luis Arce, cut ties shortly after the Israel-Hamas War began.
President Rodrigo Paz’s government, which took office in November, has said it seeks warmer ties with Israel and the US.
Pesach Benson/TPS and Tobias Holcman contributed to this report.