Syria's Sharaa confirms indirect talks with Israel
Sharaa said that the negotiations are meant to "calm the situation and prevent it from spiraling out of control."
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed Wednesday that Syria has engaged in indirect talks with Israel aimed at easing tensions between the two countries.
At a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Sharaa said that the negotiations are meant to "calm the situation and prevent it from spiraling out of control."
Reuters first reported the indirect talks between Israel and Syria on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. According to the report, the United Arab Emirates is mediating the discussions. The UAE, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020, hosted Sharaa on an official visit last month.
On Wednesday, a senior UAE official denied the Reuters report. “The claim that the UAE is ‘mediating secret talks’ between Syria and Israel is categorically false. The UAE is not part of any such talks,” Lana Nusseibeh, UAE assistant foreign minister for political affairs and foreign minster’s envoy, said.
US Congressman Marlin Stutzman told Al-Monitor that during his meeting with Sharaa in Damascus in late April the new Syrian President was "absolutely" open to normalization with Israel, "but under certain conditions."
Israel has consistently carried out airstrikes in Syria this year, with some targeting pro-Iran proxies and military installations belonging to the former regime.
Since Sharaa took over, Israel expanded the buffer zone along the border and beyond the occupied Golan Heights. In response to recent clashes between Syria’s Druze and Sunni communities in the south, Israel carried out strikes last week near the presidential palace in Damascus, followed by another wave of attacks targeting military sites near Damascus, Latakia, Hama and Daraa.
This is a breaking story and has been updating since publication.
