Syria and Israel Pursue De-escalation via U.S.-Brokered Diplomatic Dialogue

Syria and Israel held talks in Jordan on Sunday aimed at easing tensions between the two countries, Syria’s state news agency reported, days after Israel conducted a strike on an air base within Syrian territory.

The discussions, mediated by the United States, centered on establishing mechanisms to halt Israeli operations on Syrian soil and on reviving security agreement talks between the two nations, SANA reported, citing a Syrian Foreign Ministry official.

Leading the Syrian delegation was Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, accompanied by the heads of Syria’s general and military intelligence agencies, according to SANA.

Israeli officials have not publicly commented on the talks and have not yet responded to requests for further details.

The two sides also discussed efforts to prevent tensions between Turkey and Israel—both of which border Syria—from spilling over into Syrian territory, SANA reported. The Israeli strikes on the Syrian air base last week followed a Turkish delegation’s visit to the airfield as part of efforts to rehabilitate the site, according to Syrian and Israeli officials.

The Sunday talks represented the latest sign that President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria is open to diplomacy with Israel, marking a sharp departure from his predecessors, who maintained decades-long hostility toward the country.

Mr. al-Sharaa’s government previously engaged with Israel through U.S.-brokered back-channel discussions last year—the first such talks in over a decade.

That diplomatic track stalled following the outbreak of the American-Israeli conflict with Iran earlier this year.

To date, the discussions over the past year have failed to curb Israel’s military activity in Syria, since rebels led by Mr. al-Sharaa seized control of Damascus in 2024 and toppled the Assad government.

The Israeli military has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on military targets in Syria, deployed forces deep into southern Syria near the Israeli border, and established military outposts and infrastructure in the region, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data nonprofit.

Israeli officials have defended the actions as necessary to prevent hostile forces such as Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, or the Islamic State—still active in Syria—from entrenching themselves near Israel.

However, military interventions in Syria have fueled fears that Israel seeks to maintain a long-term presence on Syrian territory and may expand operations beyond southern border areas.

The Trump administration, a proponent of Syria’s new government, has pushed for discussions between the two countries and publicly called for Syria to join the Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic relations between Israel and four Arab states during Mr. Trump’s first term. Syrian officials have shown no immediate inclination to do so, and the scope of the latest talks remained limited.

Following Israel’s strike on an air base in northwestern Syria last week, the Damascus government condemned the action as ‘an unjustified act of aggression, a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a dangerous escalation threatening security and stability in the region.’

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