Israel enters talks after strikes escalate Syria Suweida crisis

Israeli and Syrian officials have held direct talks in Paris to negotiate a US-mediated security agreement, days after Israeli military strikes amid the deadly sectarian conflict in Syria’s southern Suweida province.

The talks, led by US envoy to Syria and Turkey Thomas Barrack, aim to de-escalate the situation and potentially lay groundwork for future normalization. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer participated in the meetings, according to Haaretz, marking a dramatic shift in Israeli policy following years of rejecting any limits on its operations in Syrian territory.

Violence in Suwayda erupted in recent weeks between Druze communities, Bedouin militias, and Syrian government forces. Israeli airstrikes further destabilised the situation and fuelled local resentment. According to Syrian sources cited by Al Jazeera, the government has insisted that any agreement must preserve Syria’s sovereignty and territorial unity.

Israel’s previous stance had been to avoid any agreement that would constrain its freedom to act militarily in Syria. Its objective, according to Haaretz, was to eventually reach a peace accord - either through the Abraham Accords or a "cold peace" similar to those with Egypt and Jordan - but only after securing its strategic interests. That included retaining control over a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

Damascus refused to consider such peace overtures while Israel continued violating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and conducting regular airstrikes on Syrian territory. That impasse shifted following a ceasefire reached on 19 July between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Since the ceasefire, Israeli officials have met with members of the Syrian administration for security talks. Haaretz reports that Dermer met twice in Paris with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaibani in recent days.

Details of a proposed agreement were confirmed in Israeli media.

The deal includes the withdrawal of Syrian government-linked forces and allied militias from Suwayda, the formation of local administrative councils to provide basic services, and the deployment of UN personnel to monitor the area. The US would oversee implementation and violations through a dedicated committee.

The Syrian official quoted by Al Jazeera described the talks as mediated and ongoing but reiterated that Damascus will not tolerate any arrangement that undermines national sovereignty. The same report confirmed that both parties are expected to continue discussions in the coming weeks, though no final deal has been reached.

The talks mark a major reversal in Israel's approach, coming only after weeks of conflict and widespread civilian suffering. Observers say the strikes not only failed to protect the Druze population as Israel cynically claimed, but exacerbated a fragile situation and forced regional actors into a reactive diplomatic posture.