Syrian officials are expected in Paris on Monday to resume US-mediated talks with Israel in a bid to reach an agreement involving an Israeli pullback to positions held before the fall of the Assad regime.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot is scheduled to meet his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al Shibani on Monday evening.
"A new round of Syrian-Israeli negotiations, mediated by the United States, is be held in Paris on January 6," French diplomatic sources told The National.
Sana, the state-run Syrian news agency, confirmed the talks were taking place but gave neither a date nor location. It said the Syrian delegation was led by Mr Al Shibani and intelligence chief Hussein Al Salam. Tom Barrack, US envoy for the Middle East, is set to oversee the talks which are expected to last for two days, news website Axios reported.
This is the fifth round of indirect talks between Israel and Syria, and the third time France is hosting them. Mr Al Shibani, Mr Barrot and Mr Barrack met in Paris in July to discuss deadly clashes in the southern Syrian region of Sweida, where Israeli air strikes at the time drew widespread condemnation.
US officials hope an agreement could lead to the re-establishment of ties between the neighbouring countries, which have fought several wars.
Sana reported the Paris talks aim to reactivate a disengagement agreement struck in 1974 when Israel gained control of the Golan Heights. Overseen by the UN, the deal between the countries built on a ceasefire already in existence by establishing a buffer zone, calling for the disengagement of military forces and the release of prisoners of war.
In December 2024, Israel took over the buffer zone in the Golan Heights after rebels, led by now President Ahmad Al Shara, seized Damascus, saying it needed to safeguard its security from the chaos in Syria.
One of the diplomatic sources said talks were taking place "within the framework of a reciprocal security agreement that places full Syrian sovereignty above all considerations and ensures the prevention of any form of interference in Syrian internal affairs".
The Israeli delegation was led by its ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter and included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military adviser, Gen Roman Gofman, Axios said.
It added that the resignation in November of Israel's chief negotiator, Ron Dermer, coupled with "big gaps" between Israeli and Syrian positions had put the talks on hold for close to two months. The meeting in Paris reportedly follows a request made by US President Donald Trump to Mr Netanyahu at a meeting in Florida last week.
