Kathmandu— Following a recent Israeli attack on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border, officials from Syria and Israel convened for US-mediated talks in Jordan on Sunday, seeking to de-escalate tensions and establish mechanisms for future security cooperation. The meeting involved Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and a delegation led by the head of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, Roman Gofman, with discussions centering on halting Israeli attacks within Syria and potentially reviving negotiations for a lasting security agreement between the two nations.

Focus Of The Negotiations

The Syrian state news agency Sana reported that talks focused on establishing “practical mechanisms to halt Israeli attacks, arrests and targeting operations” as well as “reviving negotiations for a lasting security agreement.” Discussions also encompassed efforts to ease tensions between Israel and Turkiye, preventing their rivalry from escalating within Syria’s borders. The Syrian side emphasized its sovereign right to rebuild its army and forge alliances, rejecting any limitations on these rights.

Israeli Conditions And Concerns

According to reports in Israeli media, officials attending the talks outlined several “red lines,” including preventing Turkish military activity in Syria and maintaining a demilitarized zone on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. They also stressed the need to ensure the security of Syria’s Druze community and prevent the acquisition of certain strategic weapons systems by the Syrian army. Any withdrawal from occupied Syrian territories was conditioned on achieving unspecified “diplomatic achievements.”

History Of Talks And Current Obstacles

The US has been attempting to broker a security agreement between Israel and Syria for over a year, despite hundreds of Israeli strikes within Syria since 2024 and the presence of troops in the Golan Heights. Previous rounds of talks had yielded an agreement on intelligence sharing and de-escalation mechanisms, but negotiations stalled in February following the start of conflict involving the US and Israel with Iran. Hassan Mneimneh, a political analyst at the Middle East Institute, expressed skepticism about the current round’s potential for de-escalation, suggesting that Israel may introduce further demands.

Syria's Perspective And Priorities

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stated in an interview with Reuters that while Damascus does not trust Israel, it remains open to diplomacy. Sana reported that Syria prioritizes an Israeli withdrawal to pre-2024 positions and the full restoration of a 1974 disengagement agreement, as well as reaffirming its sovereignty over the Golan Heights. According to Mneimneh, Syria is primarily concerned with preventing its territory from becoming a battlefield between Israel and Turkiye and avoiding further disintegration of Syrian authority.

While both sides expressed willingness to continue dialogue, significant obstacles remain regarding security guarantees, territorial disputes, and mutual trust, leaving the future of de-escalation uncertain.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.