Western media reports reported that there are intense US moves and pressures to relaunch direct negotiations between Syria and Israel in the coming period, after months of stalemate following regional developments related to the war between the United States and Israel on Iran.
According to reports, these efforts are the first serious attempt to revive the track since the beginning of the year, in light of Washington's desire to prevent the expansion of the cycle of escalation and open a new negotiating window.
Reports revealed that the next round of talks will take place through a parallel track to the diplomatic and security negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, with the US administration pressuring Damascus and Tel Aviv to end the political stalemate.
Syrian sources expected that the upcoming discussions will focus on sensitive security and border files that witness a clear contrast between the two parties, as Damascus demands an immediate and complete Israeli withdrawal from the Syrian areas and towns where Israeli forces penetrated after the fall of the former regime in late 2024, considering this a red line, while the Netanyahu government rejects the complete withdrawal of what it calls the "security belt" and proposes a conditional interim withdrawal while adhering to control of the summit of Mount El-Sheikh.
The Syrian government stresses the need to reach an equal agreement that guarantees full Syrian sovereignty and prevents any Israeli interference in internal affairs, while Tel Aviv insists on retaining the freedom of military and security action inside Syrian territory to confront what it describes as "threats," in addition to demanding the dismantling of military structures near its borders.
5 Direct Meetings between Damascus and Tel Aviv
Five rounds of direct meetings between Syrian and Israeli officials were held from the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 until the beginning of 2026, as part of a negotiation process that gradually moved from a border security nature to political and diplomatic meetings under direct US auspices.
The first rounds were of an urgent military and intelligence character, while the subsequent rounds took on an organized political form with the participation of ministers and high-level officials.
In the first phase, security meetings were held between May and June 2025 in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, in conjunction with direct field meetings on the border strip in the Golan Heights, and these meetings were of an urgent nature, as Syrian security officials, including Ahmed Al-Dalati, along with IDF commanders such as the head of the Operations Authority, Oded Pasyuk, and in the presence of Turkish mediators, with the aim of containing tension and preventing a slide into a direct confrontation after the entry of Israeli forces into parts of the buffer zone.
Transition from military to political negotiation
By mid-2025, the track moved to the overt political and diplomatic level, with Paris hosting two major rounds of negotiations, the first in late July 2025, followed by back-to-back rounds until the conclusion of the fifth round on January 6, 2026.
The British capital London hosted parallel talks within the same framework, and this stage was characterized by direct American sponsorship led by envoy Tom Barak, with the participation of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and his Israeli counterpart at the time, Ron Dermer, before replacing the Israeli negotiating team later, and the discussions focused on returning to the 1974 disengagement agreement, the Israeli withdrawal from Syrian areas, and security arrangements in the south
Trilateral meeting last January in Paris
A statement was issued in January 2026 by the US State Department published on its website on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, following a two-day round of talks sponsored by the US in the French capital, Paris, in the context of what it said was "US President Donald Trump's plan for peace in the Middle East and respect for Syria's sovereignty, unity and stability, Israel's security and prosperity of the two countries."
The statement quoted the two sides as reaffirming their commitment to pursuing lasting security arrangements and establishing a joint mechanism "to facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and trade opportunities under the auspices of the United States."
The United States praised the positive steps taken by the two parties, affirming its support for the implementation of the understandings as part of broader efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.
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