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A Syrian diplomatic source confirmed on Saturday that US-mediated talks with Israeli officials took place in Paris, aimed at “containing the escalation” following recent sectarian violence in southern Syria and subsequent Israeli intervention.
Israel initiated strikes this month in Damascus and the Druze-majority Sweida province, asserting its actions were both in support of the Druze minority and to enforce demands for a demilitarised southern Syria.
The Syrian diplomatic source told state television that the Paris meeting “brought together a delegation from the foreign ministry and the general intelligence service with the Israeli side,” focusing on “recent security developments and attempts to contain the escalation in southern Syria.”
On Thursday, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack had previously stated he held discussions with unspecified Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris.
A senior diplomat had earlier told AFP that Barrack would facilitate talks between Damascus’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
According to the state TV source, the meeting explored “the possibility of reactivating the disengagement agreement with international guarantees, while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from points where they recently advanced.”
Following the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel deployed troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the strategic Golan Heights, which previously separated the two countries’ forces.
Since then, Israel has made deeper incursions into southern Syria, demanding complete demilitarisation of the area.
Damascus has previously acknowledged indirect contacts with Israel regarding a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement that established the buffer zone.
The diplomatic source clarified that the Paris meeting “did not result in any final agreements but rather represented initial consultations that aimed to reduce tensions and reopen communication channels in light of the ongoing escalation since early December.”
More meetings are planned, with the Syrian side emphasising that the country’s unity and sovereignty are non-negotiable, stating, “Sweida and its people are an integral part of the Syrian state.”
Earlier this month, Syrian and Israeli officials reportedly met in Baku on July 12, coinciding with a visit to Azerbaijan by Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The two countries have technically been at war since 1948, with Israel occupying the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967.
After Assad’s ouster, Israel conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Syria to prevent key military assets from falling into the hands of the new Islamist-led administration.
