Israel and Syria Hold Direct Security Talks Amid Regional Shift

In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, Israel and Syria have engaged in direct, face-to-face talks aimed at reducing tensions and preventing escalation along their volatile border. The meetings, held over recent weeks and confirmed by multiple sources, mark the most substantial direct contact between the two nations in decades.

The quiet dialogue follows the toppling of Bashar al-Assad and the rise of a new Islamist-led regime in Damascus. Encouraged by the United States and mediated through regional allies, including the UAE, the new Syrian leadership appears eager to stabilize its frontiers and engage Israel with a focus on security rather than hostility.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the Syrian delegation is being led by senior security official Ahmad al-Dalati, now the governor of Quneitra a province bordering the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Dalati’s recent appointment to oversee security in the Druze-majority province of Sweida further underscores his prominence in this sensitive diplomacy.

While the identity of the Israeli participants remains unconfirmed, the meetings have reportedly included several rounds held even on Israeli-controlled territory. Talks have so far centered on calming flashpoints, reducing Israeli military activity in Syrian villages, and preventing future conflict.

Though no official comments have been issued by either side, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has acknowledged indirect negotiations focused on “calming tensions.” These disclosures follow a major policy shift signaled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Sharaa in Riyadh earlier this month an encounter that reset decades of American Syria policy and spurred Jerusalem to engage diplomatically.

Sources close to the process emphasize that this is not yet normalization. “For now, they are about peace as in the absence of war rather than normalization,” one source explained. Still, there are signs of goodwill. Damascus has taken symbolic steps, including meeting with Jewish leaders and detaining Islamic Jihad operatives linked to the October 7 Hamas-led massacre. Most notably, Syria agreed to return personal items belonging to legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen, signaling a gesture of historical reconciliation.

Tensions in recent weeks have also eased in Sweida, where Druze fighters with Israeli ties had clashed with Sunni Muslim factions. Israeli airstrikes, including a bold strike near Damascus, served as both a protective signal and a warning.

Whether these talks lead to broader political understandings remains to be seen. Still, the fact that Israel and Syria two historic enemies are sitting down at all marks a new and unexpected chapter in Middle East diplomacy.

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