TEL AVIV, June 30. /TASS/. Israel would be interested in establishing diplomatic relations with Lebanon and Syria but will not discuss the status of the Golan Heights it claims to be its inseparable part, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said.

"Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Arab countries. We are interested in adding such states as Syria and Libya to the circle of peace, but with due account of Israel’s security requirements. We want to have equally good relations will all of our neighbors," he said, as cited by the Ynet portal.

However, according to the top Israeli diplomat, Israel will not discuss the status of the Golan Height it occupied after the Six-Day War in 1967, which stay part of Syria under international law. "In any peace deal, the Golan Heights will remain part of the State of Israel," he stressed.

As for neighboring Arab countries, Israel has diplomatic relations only with Egypt and Jordan. It also maintains diplomatic relations with Turkey but they have become strained amid Israel’s operations in the Gaza Strip. In 2020, during Donald Trump’s first presidential term, Israel inked US-mediated agreements on normalizing relations with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The three-party deal was dubbed by the Western media as Abraham Accords. Later, Morocco and Sudan announced normalization with Israel.

Apart from that, Israel was about to establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia but following the escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip Riyadh refused from normalizing relations with Israel, demanding it recognize the state of Palestine first. Following the change of power in Damascus, Israel’s contacts in Syria have reportedly intensified. Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi confirmed on June 24 that he was in touch with Syrian officials.