Syria and Israel reopen U.S.-mediated channel after strikes

Syria and Israel reopened a U.S.-mediated diplomatic channel in Jordan on August 23 after a new Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase, but neither side has announced a ceasefire, security agreement or timetable for follow-up action.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, said Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani led a delegation that included the heads of Syria’s General Intelligence and Military Intelligence services. The meeting was hosted by Jordan and involved what Syria described as a high-level Israeli delegation.

Al Jazeera, citing AFP and Reuters, reported that Israel’s Mossad chief, Roman Gofman, took part. That identification was not presented as a complete official participant list, and Israeli officials had not immediately commented publicly on the meeting.

Talks focused on practical de-escalation

The immediate agenda was not normalization. SANA said the discussions centered on practical mechanisms to halt Israeli attacks, arrests and targeting operations in Syria and to revive negotiations toward a security agreement that could support a broader future arrangement.

Damascus also argued that any arrangement must respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Syrian officials said the country had the right to rebuild and develop its national army and choose its alliances and partnerships without restrictions.

Syria called for Israeli forces to withdraw to positions held before December 8, 2024, and for the reactivation and full implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. The agreement remains the central formal framework for separating Israeli and Syrian forces, but the sources do not say it has been newly restored.

Those demands remain Syrian positions, not terms Israel has accepted. No public agreement, implementation mechanism or withdrawal schedule has been confirmed.

The meeting followed a new military crisis

The talks followed Israel’s strike on the Abu Duhur airbase in Idlib province the previous week, according to SANA and the Associated Press. Israel said the operation was intended to prevent Türkiye from establishing a military presence at the base. Syria and Türkiye denied that such a deployment was planned.

In an interview with Reuters published by SANA on August 23, al-Shaibani said Syria did not trust Israel and that contacts had been suspended after the Abu Duhur attack. He said Damascus wanted confidence-building measures, beginning with an end to Israeli attacks, before moving toward a broader security agreement.

Al-Shaibani also said there was no agreed mechanism to prevent clashes involving Israel, Türkiye and Syria. That unresolved issue gives the talks a wider regional dimension: competition between Israel and Türkiye could add another source of military pressure inside Syria.

Why southern Syria matters

A June 22 United Nations Security Council discussion described continuing Israeli military activity in southern Syria, including reported incursions, temporary checkpoints, searches and detentions of civilians. The briefing also referred to restrictions on civilian access and damage to agricultural land.

Council members called for respect for Syria’s sovereignty and for compliance with the 1974 framework. The UN discussion predates the August 23 meeting, so it does not show that the talks produced an agreement. It does, however, illustrate the security and humanitarian conditions the diplomatic channel is intended to address.

For civilians in southern Syria, a durable arrangement could affect movement, access to farmland, detentions and exposure to cross-border violence. For regional governments, the more immediate question is whether diplomacy can prevent another strike or confrontation while Syria rebuilds state institutions and military capacity.

What to watch next

The next evidence of progress would be a follow-up meeting, a publicly defined system for preventing clashes or verified reductions in military activity. Any movement on Israeli withdrawals or implementation of the 1974 agreement would also mark a significant change.

For now, the channel is best understood as renewed contact after escalation, not a settlement. Syria has made withdrawal, sovereignty and reactivation of the 1974 framework central conditions. Israel’s public response and willingness to accept practical restraints remain unclear.

Sources

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