Syria-Israel talks seek to ease tensions after airbase strike

Syrian and Israeli officials held U.S.-brokered talks in Jordan on Sunday to ease tensions after an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase near Türkiye last week.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met a senior Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief Roman Gofman, according to reports citing Syrian state media and officials familiar with the discussions.

The two sides reportedly discussed mechanisms to halt Israeli airstrikes, arrests and targeted operations in Syria, while reviving negotiations towards a security agreement.

They also discussed ways to prevent rising tensions between Israel and Türkiye from spilling over into Syrian territory.

The meeting followed several Israeli airstrikes last week on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in north-western Syria, roughly 70 kilometres from the Turkish border.

The strikes damaged the airbase's runway and other facilities, but no casualties were reported.

Israel says it carried out the strikes after receiving intelligence that Türkiye was moving military personnel and equipment to the airbase.

Ankara and Damascus have both denied any Turkish deployment was planned.

Barrack: ‘Not true’

On Saturday, Tom Barrack, Washington’s ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, disputed Israel’s account, saying U.S. intelligence agencies had examined the information and concluded the claim was “not true.”

In a social media post, Barrack said there may have been “miscommunication” between Israel’s military, the Mossad and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Neither Washington nor Ankara, he added, had been warned in advance about the Israeli strikes.

Describing Türkiye’s military as “very well-equipped,” Barrack said the attacks - based on inaccurate information – could have sparked a confrontation between Israel and NATO’s second-largest army.

Türkiye-Israel tensions deepen

Relations between Türkiye and Israel have deteriorated sharply over Israel’s war in Gaza and Ankara’s growing political and military influence in Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

• Syrian FM: Talks with Israel can resume despite lack of trust
• Syria says it assured Israel there were no plans for Turkish base
• Türkiye rejects Israel’s justification for Syria airbase strike

Türkiye has become a key supporter of Syria’s post-Assad government, providing military training and assistance as Damascus seeks to rebuild state institutions and unify its armed forces after more than a decade of conflict.

Israel, meanwhile, has carried out numerous strikes on positions in Syria and deployed troops beyond the UN-monitored buffer zone separating the two countries.

Damascus is seeking Israel’s withdrawal to positions held before Assad’s departure and the full restoration of the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two countries, which technically remain in a state of war.

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Türkiye Syria Jordan Israel U.S. NATO