Syrian, Israeli officials hold talks in Paris on de-escalation measures

ISTANBUL

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met Tuesday in Paris with an Israeli delegation to discuss de-escalation measures and stability in southern Syria, the country’s state news agency SANA reported.

The talks centered on reducing tensions, non-interference in Syria’s internal affairs, supporting stability across the region, monitoring the ceasefire in Suwayda province and reactivating the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria, according to the report.

The discussions were held under US mediation as part of wider diplomatic efforts to bolster security in Syria and preserve the country’s unity and territorial integrity, the agency added.

While SANA did not specify the identities of the Israeli officials, Israel’s Channel 12, citing two unnamed “informed” sources, said that Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack were set to meet al-Shaibani in Paris on Tuesday night to discuss security arrangements on the border between the two countries, without providing further details.

On July 24, Barrack wrote on the US social media platform X that “I met this evening with the Syrians and Israelis in Paris. Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation, and we accomplished precisely that. All parties reiterated their commitment to continuing these efforts.”

The next day, Israel’s Channel 13, quoting a senior Israeli official it did not name, claimed Dermer had met with al-Shaibani in Paris in the presence of Barrack, describing the meeting at the time as “extremely important.”

The US news outlet Axios reported then that the talks were mediated by US President Donald Trump’s administration and constituted “the most high-level official engagement between Israel and Syria in more than 25 years.”

Axios cited unnamed Israeli officials as saying that the goal was “to reach security understandings regarding southern Syria in order to maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria.”

On Aug. 12, al-Shaibani met in Amman, Jordan with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Barrack.

The meeting addressed ways to enhance coordination between the three parties, with an agreement reached to form a joint Syrian-Jordanian-US working group to support Syrian government efforts in strengthening the Suwayda ceasefire and pursuing a comprehensive solution to the crisis.

Suwayda has observed a ceasefire since July 19 following a week of deadly armed clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes and Israeli military attacks.

Israel has cited “protection of the Druze” to justify escalations against Syria and expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, which Damascus has denounced as blatant interference. Syria has called for enforcing the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides.

Israel also launched hundreds of airstrikes targeting Syrian military sites, including air fields, missile systems and air defense installations.

Syria’s transitional administration, formed after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, is working to restore stability across the country after nearly 25 years of authoritarian rule.