Syria and Israel held high-level talks in Jordan with U.S. mediation. As a result, peace talks are expected to resume soon.
On the 23rd (local time), Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported, citing a Syrian diplomatic source, that delegations from the two countries met that day in talks hosted by Jordan and mediated by the United States. The meeting was part of efforts to ease tensions after Israel's recent bombing of Syrian territory, seen as a move to narrow the gap between Türkiye and Israel and to prevent tensions between the two countries from spilling over onto Syrian soil.
The talks focused on a working mechanism to halt Israel's airstrikes and targeted operations, and on restarting negotiations for a security agreement that would lay the groundwork for a broader future accord. Syria's stated top priority was reported as Israel withdrawing to positions prior to Dec. 8, 2024, when the Bashar al-Assad dictatorship was ousted, and fully restoring the 1974 disengagement agreement.
Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani said in an interview with Reuters the previous day that stopping Israel's attacks is Syria's top priority and that confidence-building measures are needed in this direction. "I believe talks will resume soon," the minister said, adding, "The United States is continuing to press Israel to return to the negotiating table."
AFP reported, citing two people including an anonymous Syrian government source, that the Syrian foreign minister met with the Director General of Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency, that day. AFP said Minister Shaibani met in Jordan with Roman Gofman, the Director General of Mossad, and discussed measures such as establishing a "special operations room" in Jordan under U.S. supervision to prevent any clashes that could occur inside Syria. In particular, the potential clashes are said to include cases involving Türkiye, which was cited as the reason for the attack on a Syrian air base.
Earlier, on the 18th, Israel bombed the Abu Zuhur air base in Idlib province in northern Syria. It was the first such strike in five months since an airstrike in March. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the next day that the attack was the result of ignoring Türkiye's warning about a military buildup in Syria. Türkiye is rebuilding the Abu Zuhur base.
Syria and Israel agreed to a cease-fire in 1974, establishing a buffer zone in the disputed Golan Heights where the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (DOF) is stationed, with a military demarcation line on each side. In December 2024, immediately after the Bashar al-Assad dictatorship was driven out of Syria, Israel sent ground troops beyond the buffer zone set along the border into Syrian territory and has been stationing them there. Israel argues the move was necessary for security after the Assad regime's collapse.
Syria has responded by saying it does not threaten Israel and has called for an end to airstrikes and incursions. In particular, Ahmed al-Shara, Syria's interim president who came to power after ousting the Assad regime, has sought to conclude a security agreement with Israel under U.S. mediation to ease tensions.