US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, estimates that a peace agreement between Israel and Syria will be reached in the coming years.

In a special interview with the American “Al-Hura” network that will be broadcast in full on Saturday, Leaf said that the meeting that took place with the leader of the new Syrian government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus earlier, “was constructive and sincere.”

The senior American official added: “We spoke with Sharaa about various issues, including ISIS, American sanctions and the future of the government.”

Leaf also reported that “Al-Sharaa has pledged to help find the missing American journalist Austin Thais in Syria, but we still do not know his whereabouts Where are you?”

Regarding the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Leaf said the most important point in reaching an agreement is for the current and future US administrations to work together to achieve a result.

She noted that “turning the agreement reached in Gaza into a lasting peace will be hard work.”

On Wednesday, the Gaza agreement was announced after months of mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the US between Hamas and Israel.

Leaf noted that she does not see “an alternative to the Palestinian Authority as a negotiating party with the Israelis,” but added that “the Palestinians want new blood within the Authority.”

Regarding tensions in the Middle East, Leaf said she does not believe Israel will attack Iranian nuclear facilities, because it cannot do so alone without US support.

She stressed that it is difficult to confirm or deny that the regime in Iran is as fragile as the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

She also expressed her belief that signing a joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia would be a good thing.