On Sunday (August 23), Syria and Israel held high-level talks in Jordan under U.S. mediation to negotiate on easing tensions sparked by recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria.
According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, the talks primarily focused on establishing concrete mechanisms to halt Israeli airstrikes, raids, and arrest actions within the Syrian territory, while also advancing negotiations to restore security agreements, laying the foundation for broader agreements in the future.
The two sides also discussed how to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Turkey to prevent their conflicts from spilling over into Syria.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stated in an interview with Reuters on the 22nd that Damascus expects to soon resume security negotiations with Israel, but mutual trust is currently lacking between the two sides.
For over a year, the United States has been trying to mediate security agreements between Israel and the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Shaibani noted that the negotiations were previously interrupted due to the outbreak of the Iran war. After Israel carried out airstrikes on the Abu Duhoor airbase in Syria last week, Syria temporarily cut off all contact with Israel.
Shaibani previously revealed that around the beginning of this year, the two sides had reached consensus on “almost all” issues in the negotiation text, including establishing a security zone in southern Syria and creating a buffer zone only allowed for UN forces to station, but Damascus remains skeptical about whether Israel is willing to fulfill the agreements.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes on military facilities within Syria, attributing these actions to its own security needs. Syria denies posing a threat to Israel and demands that Israel cease airstrikes and military operations.
During the meeting on the 23rd, Syria stated that its most urgent request is for Israel to withdraw to the deployment positions before the downfall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, and fully restore and implement the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel.
Syria also stated that it does not accept any restrictions on rebuilding and developing its armed forces, determining its own alliances, and arrangements with partners. Regarding the Golan Heights controlled by Israel, Syria reiterated that the area belongs to Syrian territory but considers discussing its final status premature.
Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981. The United States recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019, a position not widely acknowledged by the international community.
Israel and Syria have not signed a peace treaty since 1948. In 1974, they signed the Disengagement Agreement to achieve a ceasefire and establish disengagement zones monitored by UN forces, but the agreement is not a peace treaty, and the two countries have yet to establish formal peace relations.
As of now, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has not made a public response regarding the resumption of security negotiations with Syria.
(Reference: Reuters)