Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa gave an interview to state-run TV on Friday, saying negotiations are still ongoing with Israel to reach a security agreement in the near future.

Since the fall of former President Bashar Assad’s government in early December, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes around the country destroying much of the Syrian army’s assets and captured areas in southern Syria.

The push by Israel came despite a 1974 agreement that established a demilitarized separation zone between Israeli and Syrian forces, stationing a UN peacekeeping force, known as UNDOF, to maintain calm.

Asked if an agreement with Israel will be reached before his expected visit to New York to take part in the UN General Assembly later this month, al-Sharaa said negotiations are still ongoing.

He hopes that once the deal is reached, Israeli forces will return to where they were before the fall of Assad’s government.

“Israel considered the fall of the regime as Syria’s withdrawal from the 1974 agreement, even though Syria showed its commitment to it from the very first moment,” al-Sharaa said.

He added that Syria has demonstrated its commitment to the 1974 ceasefire agreement, sent a message to the United Nations, and requested that UNDOF return to its previous role.

Earlier this week, a Russian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak visited Syria as the two countries work on improving relations after Moscow was a main-backer of Assad and joined Syria’s civil war on his side a decade ago.

Al-Sharaa said Syria had multiple ties with Russia in the past, and “we inherited them, so they must be preserved and managed calmly and wisely.”