Syria issues rare confirmation of talks with Israel as US pushes to stabilize ties

Syria’s foreign minister held a rare meeting with an Israeli delegation in Paris on Tuesday, the Syrian state-run news agency reported. The talks were brokered by the United States, which has been pushing for Syria and Israel to normalize relations, the report said.

The SANA news agency said Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met with Israeli officials to discuss deescalating tensions and restoring a 1974 ceasefire agreement. The talks resulted in “understandings that support stability in the region,” according the agency.

“These talks are taking place under US mediation, as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in Syria and preserving the unity and integrity of its territory,” it added.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on Tuesday’s talks, which Hebrew media outlets earlier reported would be attended by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack.

Dermer and al-Shaibani previously met in Azerbaijan late last month, and held another meeting in Paris the week before that.

“The United States continues to support any efforts that will bring lasting stability and peace between Israel and its neighbors,” a senior Trump administration official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, told the Associated Press after Tuesday’s meeting.

The official noted US President Donald Trump’s outlined “vision of a prosperous Middle East” that includes a “stable Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors — including Israel,” adding that “we want to do everything we can to help achieve that.”

Tensions have soared between Jerusalem and Damascus following the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli forces seized control of a UN-patrolled buffer zone in Syria shortly after the Assad regime’s overthrow and carried out airstrikes on military sites in what officials said was aimed at creating a demilitarized zone south of Damascus.

Israel has said it will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves along the frontier, as Iranian-backed groups did during Assad’s rule. It distrusts Syria’s new government, which is led by former jihadists.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander, has pledged to build a new country that respects the rights of minorities, but sectarian violence has erupted on a number of occasions, raising concerns about the country’s fragile transition.

Israel stepped up its intervention when violence erupted in Syria’s southern  Sweida province last month between Bedouin clans and government forces on one side and armed groups from the Druze religious minority on the other.

The conflict then prompted airstrikes against Syrian forces by Israel in defense of the Druze before a truce — mediated by the US, Turkey and Arab countries — halted most of the fighting.

Israel said it was acting to protect the Druze, who are seen as a loyal minority in Israel and serve in the military. Israel launched dozens of airstrikes on convoys of Syrian forces around Sweida and struck the headquarters of the Syrian Ministry of Defense in the heart of Damascus, Syria’s capital.

Though the fighting has largely calmed down, Syrian government forces have surrounded the city of Sweida, named after the province, and the Druze have said that little aid is getting in, describing the situation as a siege.

Barrack, the US envoy brokering the Israel-Syria talks, met Tuesday in Paris with Israeli Druze leader Sheikh Muafak Tarif. In a statement on the “excellent” meeting, Tarif said the Druze want American assistance with an end to the blockade and humanitarian aid for the people there, the return of the Druze who were kidnapped during the fighting, as well as American assurances of Druze security.

Barrack wrote on X that his “warm and informative meeting” with Tarif addressed the situation in Sweida and “how to bring together the interests of all parties, deescalate tensions, and build understanding.”

Today I had a warm and informative meeting with Israeli Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif and his team. We discussed the situation in Suwayda and how to bring together the interests of all parties, de-escalate tensions, and build understanding. pic.twitter.com/A7htbbSl2r

— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) August 19, 2025

While the Druze in Syria have historically been wary of Israel, an increasing number are now open to seeking Israeli assistance. Hundreds demonstrated in Sweida on Saturday to demand the right to self determination for the Druze minority, with some protesters waving Israeli flags.

Videos and photos of the demonstration circulating on social media sparked outrage from many other Syrians, who accused the protesters of being traitors.

Israel and Syria have technically been at war since 1948. Israel conquered around two-thirds of the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six Day War of June 1967, and annexed the territory in 1981, in a move not recognized by much of the international community, with the exception of the United States.

A year after the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, Israel and Syria reached an agreement on the disengagement line that Damascus is now pushing to restore.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in June that while Israel had an “interest” in normalizing ties with Syria and neighboring Lebanon, the Golan Heights “will remain part of the State of Israel” under any future peace agreement, which the Syrian government has said is premature to discuss.

Is The Times of Israel important to you?

Yes, I’ll give

Yes, I’ll give

Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this

You appreciate our journalism

Join Our Community

Join Our Community

Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this