Syria announced it held high-level talks with Israel in Jordan on Sunday, aimed at de-escalation following recent Israeli airstrikes and to prevent Syria from being drawn into tensions between Israel and Turkey.
The negotiations, reportedly mediated by the United States and hosted by Jordan, involved a Syrian delegation led by the foreign minister and military intelligence chiefs meeting with a high-level Israeli delegation. According to Syrian state news agency SANA, the discussions were part of ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions, particularly after recent Israeli strikes on Syrian territory and increased instability in southern Syria. The talks also addressed mechanisms to bring viewpoints between Turkey and Israel closer, ensuring that the current tensions between those two nations do not impact Syria.
Sources indicated that discussions included establishing a joint operations room in Jordan, under US supervision, to preemptively address any confrontations within Syria, including those potentially involving Turkey. This initiative follows a January agreement between Syria and Israel to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism as they move toward a broader security agreement. The recent Israeli bombing of the Abu Duhur airbase in northwest Syria, which Israel stated was to prevent Turkish troop deployment, was a key point of discussion, though Turkey denied any intention to occupy the site.
The talks occurred amidst heightened rhetoric between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the Abu Duhur airbase incident. US envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, had previously criticized the Israeli strike as an "unnecessary escalation." These discussions represent the first high-level Syrian-Israeli engagement in several months, building on previous rounds of direct talks and the agreement to establish a communication cell to reduce bilateral tensions.
Further discussions focused on creating practical mechanisms to halt Israeli attacks and reviving the negotiation process for a comprehensive security agreement. These talks also followed an Israeli strike in southern Syria that Damascus condemned as a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty, where Israel seeks to maintain a broader demilitarized zone. Israel, which controls the Golan Heights annexed from Syria, has been pushing for security arrangements in the region, with the United States actively supporting a security deal between the two nations.
