Syria ‌is seeking to reach a security agreement with Israel, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday.

He said a deal could pave the way for comprehensive peace between the two countries without compromising Syria’s right ​to the Golan Heights, an area that Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and ​annexed in 1981.

“We are avoiding getting into confrontations,” ​he added.

Soon after former Syrian President Bashar Al Assad fell to rebel forces advancing under Sharaa’s leadership in ​December 2024, Israeli troops pushed into Syria and seized strategic territories. Israeli troops moved into a demilitarized zone inside Syria, including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, which overlooks the capital Damascus.

Since then, the Israeli military has launched strikes on ​Syria and detained individuals from within the country. Israel has also intervened in what it calls missions to protect ​ethnic minority Druze in southwestern Syria.

On Sunday, Israeli forces shelled areas in Syria and destroyed an electrical transformer in the ‌village ⁠of Maariyah, depriving homes of power, Syria’s state news agency SANA said.

Sharaa’s comments coincided with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visiting Syria, the first trip by a United Nations chief to the country since 2009.

In a statement on X on Sunday, Guterres called for respect for Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.

“Violations by ​Israel of the 1974 Disengagement ​of Forces Agreement are ⁠unacceptable & must stop,” Guterres said.

Last year, Sharaa, who is trying to rehabilitate Syria’s image, became the first Syrian president since 1967 to take part in the ​U.N. General Assembly in New York. His government is seeking to rebuild ​international ties and ⁠the local economy after nearly 14 years of war and decades of isolation and death under Assad family rule.

Sharaa also said his government is “not considering military interventions” in Lebanon. The Iran-backed Shiite Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and ⁠Sharaa ​fought on opposing sides of the Syrian civil war.

Earlier this year, ​U.S. President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Sharaa about combating Hezbollah, after criticizing Israel for killing too many civilians ​in Lebanon.

The United States has paused military strikes on Iran as diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider regional conflict gain momentum, although tensions remain high across the Middle East.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is continuing talks with Tehran and expressed optimism that Iranian officials are becoming “more serious” about negotiations after weeks of escalating hostilities.

The pause in military action follows nearly two weeks of intensified fighting that raised fears of a broader regional war. According to reports, the White House opted to prioritize diplomacy while maintaining military pressure through a continued U.S. naval presence in the region.

Despite the diplomatic push, violence has spread beyond the Gulf.

Yemen’s Houthi movement has launched attacks on Saudi oil facilities along the Red Sea coast, threatening key energy infrastructure and increasing concerns over the security of international shipping routes. The renewed attacks have also raised fears of further disruption to global oil supplies.

Meanwhile, Iran has accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea and has summoned Ukrainian diplomats to protest the incident, adding another layer of tension to the already volatile regional situation.

Diplomatic efforts are continuing through regional mediators as both Washington and Tehran seek to avoid a return to full-scale conflict. However, analysts warn that the situation remains fragile, with any new military incident capable of derailing negotiations.

The conflict has already affected global energy markets, with continued uncertainty surrounding shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most important oil transit routes—keeping governments and investors on alert.

India’s education minister resigned on Saturday, handing a major victory to youth protesters who had demanded he quit to take responsibility ‌for examination paper leaks, and who erupted in celebration on news of his departure.

“We have done it,” said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party that led the protests, to loud cheers at the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi, Reuters reported.

“Considering the situation that has arisen ​at Jantar Mantar and across the country, so that anti-national forces do not take advantage of this situation … I have ⁠sent my resignation letter to the Prime Minister,” Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote in his post.

“I deeply respect the aspirations, feelings, and legitimate expectations ​of the country’s youth.”

The minister announced his resignation on X just as police fired tear gas to scatter young protesters in New Delhi, hours before their ​leaders were set to hold another round of talks with ministers.

Pradhan, 57, is a senior leader of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and has been regarded as a rising figure, and even mentioned in the past as a potential BJP leader.

A minister since Modi first took office in 2014, he has held the petroleum and natural gas, steel, ​skill development and education portfolios, becoming education minister in 2021. His father was a veteran BJP leader and served as a junior federal minister between ​1998 and 2004.

Pradhan’s resignation is “a victory of peace, patience & perseverance,” activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike for 26 days to support the youngster’s movement, wrote ‌on X.

CELEBRATIONS ⁠AT PROTEST SITE

Youngsters at the Jantar Mantar site shouted “Jai Hind”, a patriotic slogan meaning “Victory to India”, as the national anthem played on loud speakers and sweets were distributed among the crowd. At least 1,000 police officials stood nearby guarding the area, according to Reuters journalists at the site.

The leak of the high-profile medical college entrance test paper in May, which led to the cancellation of results and the government ordering a retest, affected 2 million young ​people.

Supporters of India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement had been ​protesting since June, but anger boiled ⁠over since police on Monday injured dozens of students, launching baton charges and firing tear gas to deter crowds of protesters marching on parliament.

The protests also reflect anger over job scarcity, corruption and government accountability.

“Young generation is here. This is ​win for the constitution,” protester Tluanga Ralte said, walking with a copy of the Indian constitution at the ​protest site after the ⁠minister’s resignation. “We are not a lazy generation.”

Federal authorities even on Saturday restricted access to the internet and to 18 metro stations to try to limit the protest in the capital, the latest day of such restrictions.

Pradhan is only the second minister to resign following a scandal since Modi came to power in 2014. ⁠M.J. Akbar ​resigned as junior foreign minister in October 2018 to fight allegations of sexual harassment made ​by more than a dozen women during India’s #MeToo movement.

Students, youth activists and opposition supporters had in recent days staged protests in the states of West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, ​holding placards demanding Pradhan’s resignation and boycotting classes in some places.