Syria and Israel on Tuesday agreed to share intelligence and explore commercial opportunities to relieve military tension and increase diplomatic engagement.
The two countries met for talks in Paris overseen by US special envoy Tom Barrack. They agreed to establish a US-supervised joint "fusion" cell to co-ordinate intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and commercial ventures.
"This mechanism will serve as a platform to address any disputes promptly and work to prevent misunderstandings," a joint US, Israeli and Syrian statement released by the US State Department read.
"The United States commends these positive steps and remains committed to supporting the implementation of these understandings, as part of broader efforts to achieve enduring peace in the Middle East."
Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani led the Syrian delegation, while the Israeli team included ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter.
Also present were US special envoy Steve Witkoff, and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to news website Axios, both of whom later joined talks on Ukraine hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed talks with Syria had resumed but did not mention a new means of communication.
"Israel reiterated its commitment to promoting regional stability and security and to the need to promote economic co-operation for the benefit of both countries," it said in a statement.
Syria is under intense US pressure to strike a security deal with Israel in the hope that this will pave the way to normalisation between the two countries. The formal establishment of their diplomatic ties would be a pivotal event for the region's politics.
Stumbling blocks
For now, however, stumbling blocks appear to remain as Syria rejects Israeli demands to demilitarise a part of Syrian territory that stretches from the border with Israel to Damascus.
In exchange, Israel would withdraw from a buffer zone in the Golan Heights that it has occupied since December 2024. Israel said it had security concerns as rebel forces took over Syria, ending more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.
The Syrian view is that any agreement signed with Israel would have to represent a “just peace” that respects Syrian sovereignty, sources told The National.
A Syrian official told Reuters that it would not be possible to move forward on "strategic files" in talks with Israel without a binding, clear timeline for Israeli troop withdrawal from Syrian territory seized last year.
The Syrian official said the latest round of talks with Israel in Paris concluded with an initiative to suspend all Israeli military activities against Syria. There was no immediate from Israel on whether it had agreed to that.
Tuesday's meeting was the fifth round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Syria. Indirect contacts were first confirmed by Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara during a visit to Paris in May.
Differences in views appear to have persisted longer than expected, as Mr Barrack had said he hoped that the sides would agree on a security deal by the end of 2025.
Western countries support Mr Al Shara's government. He is expected to travel soon to Germany, after visiting France in May in his first trip to Europe since he took office in Damascus. After a historic visit to Washington in November, Mr Al Shara said Syria was now viewed as an ally and no longer a threat.
France holds no formal role in the talks between Syria and Israel but was acting as a host for the third time in the past 12 months.
“These efforts are part of our support for American efforts to promote dialogue between Damascus and Tel Aviv and the establishment of good neighbourly relations between the two countries, an essential element of regional stability,” a French diplomatic source told The National.
After a meeting between Mr Al Shibani and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday night, Mr Barrot's office said that he had “emphasised France’s desire to contribute to Syria’s economic recovery and development”.
European economic support to Syria is likely to be discussed during a visit this week to Damascus by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Support for Syrian sovereignty
Another topic discussed by the ministers was “the need to reach security arrangements with Israel in southern Syria,” Mr Barrot's office said. “The two ministers further stressed the importance of working towards the restoration of a stable, unified, and sovereign Syria,” it added.
In July, Mr Barrot hosted Mr Barrack and Mr Al Shibani to discuss recent sectarian clashes in the southern Syrian city of Sweida against the Druze minority. But the talks ended without an agreement.
The Sweida violence prompted Israel to launch a wave of strikes, including on the Syrian Ministry of Defence in Damascus, which Israel said aimed at protecting minorities. Druze are an offshoot of Islam, with communities in Israel and Lebanon.
After the violence, tension between Syria and Israel reached its highest level since the fall of the Assad regime, disrupting the negotiations, leading the talks to “stall,” said French researcher Arthur Quesnay from Pantheon Sorbonne University.
Mr Quesnay told The National that the initial talks in Paris also were hindered by “Israel’s demands for a continued presence of Israeli armed forces in the demilitarised buffer zone along the occupied Golan Heights.”
