Syria has held high-level talks with an Israeli delegation in Jordan under US mediation, as Damascus seeks to halt Israeli attacks and revive negotiations on a security agreement.
Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani led the Syrian delegation, which included the heads of the General Intelligence and Military Intelligence services. The official Syrian news agency Sana reported the talks on Monday, citing a diplomatic source.
Peace hopes were cast into doubt last week when Israel bombed a military airfield in northern Syria, claiming Turkish forces were operating there. Israel also occupies territory in southern Syria and periodically carries out attacks.
The meeting focused on establishing practical mechanisms to halt Israeli attacks, arrests and targeting operations, Sana reported. The sides also discussed reviving negotiations towards a security agreement and a possible broader future agreement.
Mr Al Shibani, though, told Reuters in an interview that a “historic opportunity” remained open for an agreement between Israel and Syria.
“We believe there should be contact, especially with a party that constantly threatens the security of Syria,” he said. “But if this contact doesn’t bring results, then we don’t need it. We do not trust Israel currently.”
The fallen Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad was a close ally of Israel's foes Iran and Hezbollah. The new government under President Ahmad Al Shara has expressed willingness to talk to Israel while condemning many of its actions.
The US has been leading a push for a security deal that has so far proven elusive.
Sana said Jordan hosted the latest meeting under US mediation, with Damascus insisting that any security arrangements must respect Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and sovereign rights.
Syria also called for Israeli forces to withdraw to the lines held before December 8, 2024, and for the reactivation and full implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
It reiterated that the occupied Golan is Syrian territory, while saying its final status was premature to discuss.
The talks also addressed efforts to bridge differences between Turkey and Israel and prevent tensions between the two countries from spilling over into Syrian territory, Sana reported.
Meanwhile, Tom Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Syria, has suggested that Israel may have tried to provoke a confrontation with Turkey as a political calculation ahead of elections.
In an interview with podcast host Mario Nawfal, Mr Barrack described the high tensions between Turkey and Israel. He said Israel conducted a strike on a military airfield in eastern Idlib last week, even though diplomatic communication was happening through a backchannel shortly before the attack.
One theory was that “the Israelis were baiting the Turks”, he said, tying this to a possible “very aggressive but maybe a well-received pre-election concept”. Israel is due to hold a general election on October 27. Mr Barrack stressed he was presenting theories, not determinations.
Mr Barrack said the US assessment was that there was no such Turkish troop movement towards the base. “We all did our due diligence, we went back to our respective intelligence agencies. The answers we got were 'no, this is not happening',” Mr Barrack added.
