Israeli and Syrian officials hold 'positive' talks over security agreement

Syria and Israel on Tuesday concluded a "positive" round of negotiations aimed at reaching a security agreement, according to officials.

Delegates from the two countries, who do not enjoy formal relations, concluded a fifth round of US-sponsored talks in Paris, where they agreed to meet more frequently, and take "confidence-building measures".

An Israeli official told Axios that "the talks were positive".

“Both countries expressed a desire to reach a security agreement under President Trump’s vision for the Middle East,” the official said.

The Israeli delegation included ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, and Acting National Security Adviser Gil Reich.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein Salameh represented the Syrian side, while US envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, and presidential advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were also present.

An official also told Haaretz that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military secretary, Roman Gofman, and National Security Advisor Gil Reich attended the meeting.

Israel, which has occupied Syria’s Golan Heights in contravention of international law since 1967, expanded its territory in southern Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government. 

In December 2024, it seized all of a UN-patrolled buffer zone on Mount Hermon which had previously separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.

State news agency Sana said on Monday that Syria was seeking to guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal from positions held before 8 December 2024 under a reciprocal ‌security agreement guaranteeing full Syrian sovereignty.

According to Haaretz, Trump made clear to Netanyahu during a meeting in December in Florida that he was seeking tangible progress toward an agreement. 

The Paris talks have also focused on reviving a 1974 disengagement agreement that established a UN-monitored buffer zone between Israel and Syria after the 1973 war.