US security adviser Sullivan says Israel is acting in Syria for its own defense

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Thursday he believes a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release may be close, as Israel signaled it was ready, and there were signs of movement from Hamas.

“It might not happen, but I believe it can happen with political will on both sides,” he said after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Sullivan said he planned to travel to Qatar and Egypt, Washington’s fellow moderators of the talks, to advance efforts that “would start bringing those hostages home. It would also allow for a massive surge in humanitarian assistance.”

A Western diplomat in the region said this week a deal was taking shape, but it was likely to be limited in scope, involving the release of a few hostages and a short pause in hostilities.

Potential for fracture

Sullivan said he had been engaging with President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to succeed him, Mike Waltz, “in a professional and serious way on all the issues that affect the State of Israel.”

He dismissed suggestions that Netanyahu was waiting for Trump to take office on January 20 before accepting a deal.

“No, I do not get that sense,” he said at a press conference in Tel Aviv. “I got the sense from the prime minister [that] he is ready to do a deal. My goal will be to put us in a position to be able to close this deal this month.”

“I can’t make any promises or predictions to you, but I wouldn’t be here today if I thought this thing was just waiting until after January 20,” Sullivan said.

Such a truce, allowing for the release of at least some of the 100 hostages remaining in Gaza, would be only the second since the war began in October 2023.

Sullivan said seven of the hostages were American, although four of them were believed to be dead.

An agreement would also enable the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

He said Hamas’s negotiating posture appeared to have changed following a ceasefire deal that halted Israel’s hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon and made clear Hamas could not expect outside support.

“And from that moment forward, we’ve had a different character to the negotiation, and we believe that it puts us in a position to be able to close this negotiation,” Sullivan said.

Hamas has agreed to yield to two of Israel’s “key demands” for a ceasefire deal in Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, confirming a previous Jerusalem Post report, citing Arab mediators.

Hamas had dropped two of its demands, including a permanent ceasefire and a complete IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi Corridor, the Post reported in July.

At the White House on Thursday, National Security Spokesperson John Kirby repeated his assertion that there's no cavalry coming to save Hamas and there's been an "awful lot of pressure" put on its supporters. 

"And now, given where they are and how weakened they are, this is the moment to make this deal," Kirby said. "And that's why I think Jake believes that we're getting close. I mean, this is a great opportunity right now to do it."

According to Journal, Hamas told the mediators for the first time that it would agree to a deal allowing the IDF to remain in Gaza temporarily during the pause in fighting.

Hamas had handed over a list of hostages that included US citizens, the report said, adding that they would then be released under a “ceasefire pact.”

The new plan was reportedly proposed by Egypt and backed by the US. The plan “seeks to build on the momentum generated by the cease-fire in Lebanon,” which was enacted last month, the Journal reported.

Israel’s killing of Hamas leaders, including the main architect of the October 7 massacre, Yahya Sinwar, and its destruction of Hamas’s organized military structures was also relevant, Sullivan said.

Anything more than a limited truce remained unlikely so long as both sides stick to demands that have hampered numerous rounds of failed negotiations, he said.

“Whether it does get done still depends on both sides signing on the proverbial dotted line,” he added.

Sullivan declined to comment on reports that Hamas might be willing to agree to Israeli soldiers remaining in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor on its southern edge for longer than they had previously accepted.

Trump has demanded Hamas release the hostages held in Gaza before he takes over from Biden on January 20. Otherwise, he has said, there will be “hell to pay.”

A Palestinian official close to the talks described what he called “a fever of negotiations,” with ideas emerging on all sides, including among mediators in Egypt and Qatar, and said Trump’s involvement had given the talks a boost.

On Wednesday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to demand an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the immediate release of all hostages.

The ceasefire demand in the resolution – adopted with 158 votes in favor in the 193-member assembly – was expressed in more urgent language than one urging an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza that the body “called for” in October 2023 and then “demanded” in December 2023.

General Assembly resolutions are not binding, but they carry political weight, reflecting a global view of the war. The US, Israel, and seven other countries voted against the ceasefire resolution, while 13 countries abstained.

The General Assembly also threw its support behind the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, adopting a second resolution with 159 votes in favor to deplore a new Israeli law that would ban UNRWA’s operations in Israel starting in late January.

It demanded that Israel respect UNRWA’s mandate and “enable its operations to proceed without impediment or restriction.” The US, Israel, and seven other countries voted no, while 11 countries abstained.

Regarding Syria, Sullivan defended Israel’s operations since the downfall of president Bashar Assad, saying it had a right to defend itself against risks to its security.

Since the shock collapse of Assad’s government over the weekend, Israel has moved troops into the buffer zone on the Syrian side of the dividing line with the Golan Heights and has conducted hundreds of airstrikes to destroy Syrian army weapons and equipment.

“What Israel is doing is trying to identify potential threats, both conventional and weapons of mass destruction, that could threaten Israel and, frankly, threaten others as well,” Sullivan said.

In the aftermath of Assad’s escape from Syria, Israeli jets and missile ships hit military targets, including fighter jets, helicopters, naval vessels, missile stores, and weapons manufacturing sites to stop them from falling into the hands of the rebel forces that toppled Assad.

Sullivan said the situation in Syria presented a range of risks, “including the potential for fracture in that state.” Power vacuums could give room for terrorist groups to grow, he said, adding that the new power in Damascus could be hostile to neighbors, including Israel.

Speaking in Jordan on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the administration’s backing of Israel’s campaign in Syria.

“The Israelis have been clear about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it,” he told reporters at King Hussein International Airport. “I think across the board, when it comes to any actors who have real interests in Syria, it’s also really important at this time that we all try to make sure that we’re not sparking any additional conflicts.”

Blinken reiterated Israel’s claim that its incursion into Syria was temporary.

Countries including France and the United Arab Emirates have condemned Israel’s move into the buffer zone, but Sullivan said the US had “every expectation” the move would be temporary.

Israel has said its incursion into the buffer zone and its seizure of strategic areas of Mount Hermon, overlooking Damascus, was a temporary and limited measure to ensure its security.