Syria's Foreign Minister meets Israeli delegation in Paris

Discussions reportedly focused on de-escalation and non-interference

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani. EPA

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani on Tuesday met an Israeli delegation in Paris to discuss enhancing security in the region, according to Syrian state media.

The discussions focused on de-escalation and non-interference, as well as monitoring the ceasefire in Sweida governorate, among other issues, Sana news agency reported.

Israel's Channel 12 news outlet said the meeting included Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack was also reportedly at the meeting. Washington has been mediating discussions between Israel and Syria.

Mr Barrack met Israel's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif in Paris, and he said they had a "warm and informative meeting".

The two men "discussed the situation in Sweida and how to bring together the interests of all parties, de-escalate tension and build understanding", Mr Barrack said in a post on X.

Tension continues to simmer between Israel and Syria.

Sectarian violence surged in the Sweida region between the Druze and Bedouin communities last month. Syrian government troops were sent to contain the unrest but Druze militias, who distrust the new authorities in Damascus and accuse them of siding with the Bedouin, rallied to push them back.

A military intervention by Israel, which calls itself a protector of the Druze religious community, removed government troops and allied militias from the provincial capital.

Government forces have encircled the area amid a fragile truce, and Druze leaders have accused Damascus of barring most humanitarian aid from entering.

More than 1,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced amid the conflict.

Israel and Syria have never established diplomatic relations, although both signed a disengagement agreement in 1974 that created a UN-monitored buffer zone separating them. Sana reported that the Paris discussions touched on reactivating the agreement.

Cross-border Israeli strikes on Syria increased after the toppling of former president Bashar Al Assad and further intensified during the Sweida conflict, with targets including the Ministry of Defence in Damascus.