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A diplomatic source at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates told the Syrian Arab News Agency that Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani headed a delegation that also included the chiefs of general and military intelligence. The source said the Syrian team met a high-level Israeli delegation under American mediation in a session hosted by Jordan on Sunday. The gathering followed Israeli strikes on Syrian targets the previous week together with mounting tensions in southern Syria and formed part of broader efforts to reduce friction while bolstering stability across the region. According to the same Syrian source the discussions concentrated on practical steps to end Israeli attacks arrests and targeting operations while reopening avenues for negotiations that could produce a security pact as a foundation for any wider future understanding.
The Syrian side told SANA it had reaffirmed Damascus’s sovereign right to rebuild its national army and select alliances and partnerships based on national interests alone. It rejected any arrangements that would limit those rights the source reported. The delegation further stressed that all security measures must uphold Syria’s sovereignty territorial integrity and independent decision-making authority without compromise.
Syrian officials reiterated during the meeting that the occupied Golan Heights constitute Syrian territory while judging any conversation on its ultimate status and resolution path as premature. They identified the immediate priority as an Israeli pullback to the lines that existed before December 8 2024 coupled with complete reactivation and implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement a Syrian diplomatic source told SANA. The source added that participants examined ways to support Syria’s internal stability and wider regional security.
An official source cited by the Jordan News Agency Petra declared that Jordan condemned Israeli assaults on Syria as flagrant breaches of international law that represented a serious escalation. Petra reported that the source voiced full Jordanian backing for the Syrian government’s measures to defend its security stability sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Jordanian position demanded an immediate cessation of the attacks an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Syrian areas and strict observance of the 1974 disengagement understanding.
The talks also weighed efforts to narrow differences between Türkiye and Israel so that their tensions would not affect Syrian soil the Syrian source told SANA. This engagement takes place after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 during which Israel has carried out repeated strikes and territorial moves inside Syria according to a Reuters assessment of events since the political transition. That assessment noted eight Israeli airstrikes hit the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib province on August 18 targeting its runway and facilities to forestall any Turkish military foothold near the border.
Regional coverage including an Asharq Al-Awsat report quoted US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack as suggesting the Abu al-Duhur strike might have sought to provoke an Ankara reaction. The current discussions mark one of the most senior direct contacts between the post-Assad Syrian leadership and Israeli representatives to date. Syrian representatives have indicated readiness for security understandings provided they fully respect national sovereignty and rights.
