Report: New Meeting between Dermer and Syrian Officials in Paris

SadaNews - Israel is discussing with Syria the limitation of Israeli army operations in the country, under American pressure, according to an Israeli media report this Sunday evening, noting that Tel Aviv had not wished, until recently, to reach a security agreement with Damascus that would restrict the operational freedom of the occupying army on Syrian territory.

The newspaper "Haaretz" reported on its website this evening that Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, met on Saturday with "senior Syrian officials" in the French capital, Paris, for the second time in two days.

This comes as a Syrian diplomatic source announced on Saturday that the meeting in Paris, which brought together Syrian and Israeli delegations with American mediation on Thursday, addressed the possibility of activating the disengagement agreement and "containment of escalation," without resulting in "final agreements," mentioning that other meetings will be held in the future; according to what was reported by the official Syrian television.

The "Haaretz" report indicated that "the aim of the talks is to conclude a security agreement between the two countries, which could lead to normalization talks later."

Dermer’s office confirmed on Sunday his participation in talks with high-level Syrian officials in Paris yesterday, for the second time in two days.

"Haaretz" stated that the special envoy of former U.S. President Donald Trump to Syria, Thomas Barak, is leading this process and is "personally present in the talks and mediating."

According to the report, in the first meeting, which took place last Thursday, Dermer met with Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani. In this context, "Haaretz" quoted a source described as knowledgeable without naming him, stating that "Israel and Syria have entered a series of talks, which are expected to continue in the coming weeks" as well.

The report pointed out that "the talks on the security agreement contrast with Israel's stance on this matter, until recently, as Israel did not wish to reach a security agreement with Syria that would restrict the Israeli army's operational freedom on its territories."

It clarified that the Israeli position was that "concessions would only be offered in exchange for a comprehensive peace agreement, whether in the form of 'Abraham Accords,' or in the form of 'cold peace' (as is the case) between Israel, Egypt, and Jordan; for example, withdrawing from the buffer zone on the Syrian side of the Golan, which Israel occupied after the fall of the regime of (the ousted, Bashar) Assad."

The report noted that on the other hand, Damascus did not wish to enter into peace negotiations as long as Israel continued to attack Syria and maintain its occupation of its lands, contrary to the 1974 disengagement agreement.

It added that Washington "has shown understanding" for the Syrian position on this issue; however, after the recent escalation in Sweida, southern Syria, "Israel changed its position."