Syria and Israel Resume Talks in Jordan After Airbase Strike Froze Negotiations
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Mossad chief Roman Gofman in US-mediated talks days after Israel bombed a Syrian airbase, restarting negotiations frozen since February's Iran war.
Syria and Israel held high-level talks in Jordan on Sunday aimed at reviving security negotiations that froze six months ago. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani led a delegation including the heads of Syrian general and military intelligence in a meeting with Mossad Director Roman Gofman and other Israeli officials, according to Syrian state media and multiple sources. The United States mediated the discussions, which focused on halting Israeli strikes, arrests, and targeted operations in Syria, and on reviving negotiations toward a security agreement. Talks also addressed efforts to keep tensions between Israel and Turkey from spilling onto Syrian territory. The meeting followed Israel's August 18 strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria. Israel said the attack aimed to prevent Turkish forces from deploying radar and air defense systems at the facility, a claim both Syria and Turkey denied. The strike prompted sharp US criticism, with envoy Tom Barrack calling it an unnecessary escalation. Previous rounds of US-mediated talks between Syria and Israel had produced an agreement on intelligence sharing and nearly finalized a draft security deal earlier this year. But negotiations froze in late February when the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. Al-Shaibani told Reuters ahead of Sunday's meeting that Syria had cut off all contact with Israel after the airbase strike, but expected talks to resume soon. He said the two sides had agreed on paper to almost everything in the draft security deal, including security zones in southern Syria and a buffer zone for UN forces only. Any agreement would also condition Israeli withdrawal from territory seized after Bashar al-Assad's fall in December 2024 on diplomatic progress. According to AFP, the parties discussed establishing a special operations room in Jordan under US supervision to prevent confrontations in Syria involving Turkey.
How could this affect you
Traced by who's actually in the path of this — not everyone is.
Likely
If you work in regional diplomacy or conflict analysis
The resumption of Syria-Israel talks could shift the calculus for other actors in the region—particularly Turkey and Iran—who have competing interests in Syria's post-Assad future. The proposed Jordan-based operations room represents a concrete de-escalation mechanism that could alter how Israel, Syria, and Turkey coordinate or clash.
Likely
If you're tracking Turkey's regional posture
Israel's willingness to strike Syrian infrastructure over alleged Turkish deployments signals a hard red line on Ankara's military presence in Syria. If the talks produce a framework that limits Turkish military activity, it could constrain Turkey's influence in a country where it has backed the post-Assad government.
Possible
If you're invested in Middle East stability or energy markets
A Syria-Israel security agreement that holds could reduce one flashpoint in a region already strained by the Iran war and Lebanon tensions. Reduced conflict risk in Syria could marginally ease pressure on regional stability, though the agreement's viability depends on whether Israel commits to halting strikes and withdrawing from occupied territory.
Sources
Every claim here traces back to reporting you can read yourself.
