U.S.-brokered talks between Syria and Israel have resumed after being paused for several months, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported on Monday. Damascus is pressing for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territory taken after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
According to SANA, which cited a Syrian government source, the talks are being led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani alongside intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama. The source said the renewed negotiations reflect Syria’s efforts to reclaim what it considers its non-negotiable national rights.
The discussions are centred on reviving the 1974 disengagement agreement, which created a United Nations-monitored buffer zone between Syrian and Israeli forces following the 1973 Middle East war.
Israeli troops moved further across the border after Assad was overthrown on 8 December 2024 by rebel forces that later assumed control of the country. Israel has also carried out operations it says are aimed at protecting the Druze minority in southwestern Syria.
Syria is seeking an Israeli pullback to positions held prior to Assad’s removal and is calling for a reciprocal security arrangement that would guarantee its sovereignty and prevent interference in its internal affairs.
A Syrian official told Reuters last month that the talks had been stalled since October, but said Damascus anticipated a potential shift after a meeting on 29 December between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The official said Syria regards Israel’s withdrawal from territory seized after Assad’s fall as a “red line”, adding that Damascus had been asked to consider a phased Israeli withdrawal.
“We will not legitimise an Israeli presence in Syria or in the Golan Heights,” the official said.
In previous rounds of U.S.-mediated talks in Paris and Washington, Syria pushed for an agreement modelled on the 1974 disengagement deal, which separated the two sides’ forces and maintained a ceasefire for decades, despite the absence of a formal peace agreement.
Syria’s leadership has also called for an end to Israeli air strikes and ground incursions.
Israel has said it would only agree to a deal that protects its security interests, including the demilitarisation of parts of southwestern Syria and guarantees for minority communities. It has yet to publicly commit to a full withdrawal to positions held before 2024.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for closer security coordination between Central Asia and China, warning that expanding trade and...
Germany will deploy a Patriot air-defence battery to Türkiye in the coming weeks as part of a NATO mission aimed at strengthening the alliance...
United Nations World Urban Forum 13 continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 19 May with sessions and roundtable discussions focused on strengthening dialo...
A new United Nations report unveiled at the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku warns that the global housing crisis is worsening...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remained committed to reaching a diplomatic settlement with the U.S. while continuing to streng...
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for closer security coordination between Central Asia and China, warning that expanding trade and infrastructure links are exposing the region to increasingly sophisticated cross-border threats.
Germany will deploy a Patriot air-defence battery to Türkiye in the coming weeks as part of a NATO mission aimed at strengthening the alliance’s south-eastern flank, German officials have said.
A new United Nations report unveiled at the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku warns that the global housing crisis is worsening rapidly, with nearly 40% of the world’s population living in inadequate, unsafe or unaffordable housing.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remained committed to reaching a diplomatic settlement with the U.S. while continuing to strengthen its defensive capabilities amid ongoing regional tensions.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
United Nations World Urban Forum 13 continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 19 May with sessions and roundtable discussions focused on strengthening dialogue and advancing cooperation in urban development. Organisers say there are nearly 3 billion people globally who face some form of housing inadequacy.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned attack on Iran after appeals from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, allowing negotiations to continue over a possible deal to end the conflict.
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck China’s Guangxi region early on Monday, killing two people and forcing more than 7,000 residents in Liuzhou to evacuate as rescue efforts continued.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), warning that the situation poses a significant risk of cross-border spread in Central Africa.
Germany will deploy a Patriot air-defence battery to Türkiye in the coming weeks as part of a NATO mission aimed at strengthening the alliance’s south-eastern flank, German officials have said.
Estonia said on Tuesday (19 May) that a NATO fighter jet shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over its territory, in the latest reported airspace violation in the region amid ongoing Ukrainian strikes against Russia.
Sweden has agreed to buy four naval frigates from France’s Naval Group in a deal worth more than $4 billion, as Stockholm moves to strengthen its defence capabilities in the Baltic Sea, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday.
Spanish police said on Tuesday they had detained a 25-year-old man suspected of killing his two parents and injuring four other people, including his son, in a shooting in the southern city of El Ejido in Almeria province overnight.
European Union negotiators are expected to agree on Tuesday (19 May) on legislation removing import duties on U.S. industrial goods, in a move aimed at implementing last year’s trade agreement with the United States and avoiding higher tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment