Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Syria-Israel talks included Mossad chief, sources tell AFP
Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani met Roman Gofman, described as the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, in Jordan on Sunday, a diplomatic source and a Syrian government source told AFP, during Syria-Israel talks that Damascus said focused on de-escalation and Turkey-Israel tensions.
Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a diplomatic source at the foreign ministry as saying a high-level Syrian delegation led by Shaibani and including the general and military intelligence chiefs met a high-level Israeli delegation under US mediation and hosted by Jordan.
SANA said the meeting was part of efforts to de-escalate after recent Israeli bombardment of Syrian territory, rising tensions in southern Syria and efforts to keep tensions between Israel and Turkey from affecting Syria.
The diplomatic and Syrian government sources told AFP that the two sides discussed setting up a special operations room in Jordan under US supervision to prevent any confrontation in Syria, including one involving Turkey.
SANA said the talks also addressed practical mechanisms to stop Israeli attacks and revive negotiations aimed at reaching a security agreement that could form the basis of a wider future accord.
The talks came after Israel bombed the disused Abu Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria earlier in the week, saying it wanted to prevent Turkish troops from deploying there. Ankara denied any visit to the site. US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack called the attack an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability”.
Israel and Syria's authorities have held several rounds of direct talks. After negotiations in Paris in January, they agreed to establish a dedicated communication cell under US supervision to reduce bilateral tensions.
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on Syria since the December 2024 toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad by Islamist forces it considers jihadists. It has also sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that had long separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and has vowed to keep troops in a security zone in southern Syria.
The talks also came a day after Israel struck what it said was a militant in southern Syria. Damascus said one person was wounded in that strike, which it called a violation of its sovereignty.
Update
A diplomatic source and a Syrian government source told AFP that Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani met Roman Gofman, described as the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.
The same sources said the talks covered establishing a special operations room in Jordan under US supervision to prevent confrontation in Syria, including involving Turkey.
US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack criticised Israel's strike on the Abu Duhur airbase as an unnecessary escalation.
Syrian sources described the talks as the first between Israel and Syria in some time or in several months.
The talks also followed an Israeli strike in southern Syria that Israel said targeted a militant and Damascus said wounded one person.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 August 2026 at 22:31:27 UTC.
Update
Syria said high-level talks with Israel were held on Sunday.
SANA quoted a Syrian foreign ministry diplomatic source as saying the talks were US-sponsored and hosted by Jordan.
The diplomatic source said the talks aimed at de-escalation after recent Israeli bombardment of Syrian territory.
The source said the talks also addressed efforts to bring Turkish and Israeli positions closer and keep their tensions from affecting Syria.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 August 2026 at 21:30:21 UTC.
Update
Syria said talks with Israel addressed keeping Syria out of Israel-Turkey tensions.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 August 2026 at 21:22:27 UTC.
Update
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israel remained in a multi-front war and had to stay ready because escalation could develop in any arena.
Syria's foreign ministry condemned the strikes on Abu Duhur air base and urged action by the UN Security Council.
The item says Israel and Syria's new authorities have held direct talks and agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said last week that Israel planned to keep troops in Syria.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 16:26:18 UTC.
Update
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir made the remarks during a visit to an Israeli-occupied security zone in southern Syria.
Zamir said Israel was monitoring changes on the Syrian front and would not allow hostile forces to establish themselves on its borders.
The remarks followed an Israeli bombing of a base in northwestern Syria that drew condemnation from the United States and Turkey.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 15:53:01 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The Syrian government source described Sunday's talks as the first between Israel and Syria in some time, while the diplomatic source described them as the first in several months.
Whether Sunday's talks produced any final agreement was not established.
The details and timing of any proposed special operations room or future security agreement remain unresolved.
Source
AFP news report published on .