Syria holds talks with Israel addressing de-escalation and Israel-Turkey tensions

Syria engaged in high-level talks with Israel in Jordan on Sunday, focusing on de-escalation and preventing tensions between Israel and Turkey, a close ally of Syria. These negotiations followed January's agreement to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism and an impending security agreement. Israel had recently bombed a disused airbase in northwest Syria, alleging it aimed to prevent Turkish troops from deploying there.

Syrian state news agency SANA reported a delegation led by the foreign minister met a high-level Israeli delegation under American mediation and hosted by Jordan. Discussions aimed to foster cooperation between Turkey and Israel, preventing any regional tension from spilling over into Syria. The talks also addressed establishing a special operations room in Jordan under US supervision to thwart potential conflicts, including those involving Turkey.

US envoy Tom Barrack denounced Israel's attack on the airbase as an "unnecessary escalation," while Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Turkish President Erdogan have had strained relations since the incident. This marked the first such meeting between Israel and Syria in some time, according to Syrian and diplomatic sources. The discussions centered on setting up practical mechanisms to halt Israeli attacks and reviving negotiations for a security agreement.

Israel and Syria's new leadership have held multiple rounds of direct talks since January, leading to the establishment of a communication cell under US supervision. An Arab diplomat in Damascus mentioned a proposed joint operations room in Jordan to handle security coordination and border control. Since the December 2024 overthrow of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Israel has conducted numerous strikes on Syrian territory, sending troops into a UN-monitored buffer zone on the Golan Heights and repeatedly invading deeper Syrian land.

Israel vowed to maintain troops in a security zone in southern Syria, aiming for a broader demilitarized area. These talks also followed an Israeli strike targeting a militant in southern Syria, which left one person wounded and was denounced by Damascus as a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty. Israel has controlled the Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, annexing the area only recognized by the United States and, recently, Colombia.

US President Donald Trump has advocated for a security deal between Syria and Israel, but Israel remains skeptical of Syria's regime.