Syrian FM taking part in new round of talks with Israel: state media

A Syrian delegation including Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held a new round of negotiations with Israel on Monday and Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported, the first in several months.

Two diplomatic sources told AFP that the U.S.-mediated talks were held in Paris. Quoting a government source, SANA said the talks were coordinated and mediated by Washington.

The discussions were focused on reaching "a balanced security agreement" between the two countries, on reactivating a 1974 disengagement agreement and guaranteeing "the withdrawal of Israeli forces" to their positions prior to the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

After several hours of talks in Paris, Israel and Syria agreed to accelerate negotiations to reach a new security agreement, Israeli and U.S. officials directly involved in the talks told Axios. The two countries also decided to hold more frequent meetings and implement confidence-building measures, a senior Israeli official said.

According to a joint statement released on Tuesday by the U.S. State Department, Israel, Syria and the United States have agreed to establish a joint "fusion mechanism," which will serve as a communication hub for intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic exchanges and trade issues.

This mechanism, under U.S. supervision, should enable "rapid resolution of disputes."

But in a statement to Reuters, a Syrian official said it would not be possible to move forward on "strategic files" in talks with Israel without a binding, clear timeline for Israeli troop withdrawal from Syrian territory seized after the late 2024 toppling of Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the latest round of talks with Israel in Paris concluded with an initiative to suspend all Israeli military activities against Syria.

However, there was no immediate statement from Israel on whether it had agreed to suspend military activities in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel had focused on security issues as well as Israel-Syria economic cooperation during the talks.

The parties have also decided to open discussions between Tel Aviv and Damascus in civilian areas, including medicine, energy and agriculture.

The Trump administration is pushing for an agreement to stabilize the shared border and hopes that this first step will pave the way for diplomatic normalization.

Last week, during their meeting in Florida, Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume negotiations.

"Both countries have expressed their willingness to reach a security agreement as part of President Donald Trump's vision for the Middle East," the Israeli official said to Axios.

The U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, along with presidential advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, attended the meeting to mediate between the two sides. This was the fifth round of U.S.-mediated talks, the first in two months, following a period of deadlock due to Israel's insistence on the creation of a demilitarized zone in southern Syria.

Last month, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the demand would endanger his country and urged Israel to respect the 1974 deal.

The Israeli delegation included Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, the prime minister's military secretary, Roman Gofman, and acting national security adviser Gil Reich. The Syrian side was represented by Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama.

On Monday, the official SANA news agency reported that Shaibani was participating in U.S.-mediated negotiations with Israel aimed at "reaching a balanced security agreement" between the two countries, which are still technically at war and have been since 1948.

The new authorities, who came to power in December 2024, have initiated high-level contacts with Israel under U.S. mediation.

Soon after Assad's ousting, Israel sent troops into the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone which has separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights for decades.

Israel has also carried out repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory since then, as well as a series of airstrikes, and has said it wants a demilitarized zone in the country's south.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke to Shaibani on Monday in Paris, the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The two ministers stressed the importance of working towards the restoration of a unified, stable and sovereign Syria. In that regard, they mentioned the necessity of coming to a security arrangement with Israel in Syria's south," the statement said.