Report: Washington Seeks to Resume Syrian-Israeli Talks

SadaNews - An Israeli report stated that direct talks between Israel and Syria could resume in the near future, after months of suspension, marking the first time since the recent war between Israel and Iran, amid U.S. pressure to advance the negotiation process between the two sides.

According to the Israeli public broadcasting agency ("Kan 11"), on Wednesday evening, the anticipated talks will be managed through a parallel channel to the ongoing direct negotiation process between Israel and Lebanon, based on estimates conveyed from sources familiar with the ongoing communications.

The report stated that U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a resumption of dialogue between Damascus and Tel Aviv, stemming from his desire to involve Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in efforts aimed at weakening Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The report added that this initiative does not yet have public support from any of the concerned parties, as neither al-Shara nor Israel nor Lebanon have officially endorsed it.

Trump had praised the Syrian president in statements made on Tuesday, considering him to be doing an "amazing job," and remarked that Syria could play a role in confronting Hezbollah if Israel cannot achieve its goals "without killing everyone."

In contrast, al-Shara previously denied the accuracy of reports suggesting a potential Syrian intervention in Lebanon, stressing that Damascus and Beirut had decided to postpone detailed discussions on the border demarcation issue and focus currently on economic and developmental files.

He stated: "Some are still spreading rumors about Syrian intervention in Lebanon, which is not true."

Discussions between Syria and Israel had resumed last January under U.S. mediation, following a hiatus of several months, before entering a state of stagnation that continues until now.

The Syrian official news agency "SANA", in January, quoted a government source as saying that the resumption of talks came in the context of efforts to "restore inalienable national rights."

According to the source, those discussions focused on reactivating the disengagement agreement signed in 1974, which established a buffer zone monitored by the United Nations between the two sides following the October 1973 war.

Damascus also demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas they controlled after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime at the end of 2024, and reaching a "mutual security agreement" that ensures full Syrian sovereignty and prevents interference in the internal affairs of the country.

According to what was conveyed by Reuters from a Syrian official earlier, Damascus considers the Israeli withdrawal from the lands controlled by Israeli forces after the fall of Assad to be a "red line" and rejects granting any legitimacy to the Israeli presence in Syrian territories or in the occupied Golan Heights.