DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇱 Israel /Conflict & Security

Israel strike in Syria may push US to broker deal between Jerusalem and Damascus - analysis

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Ongoing story
  • An Israeli airstrike in Syria may have prompted U.S. action to broker a deal between Israel and Syria.
  • Syria's foreign minister expressed hope for resuming security agreement negotiations, prioritizing a halt to Israeli attacks and confidence-building measures.
  • Despite Syria's distrust of Israel, both nations and the U.S. see potential for diplomatic progress, though past negotiations have stalled.

Israel's recent airstrike in northern Syria has unexpectedly spurred U.S. efforts to facilitate an agreement between Jerusalem and Damascus. Israel has historically used military actions to signal messages and secure concessions, a tactic that previously led to U.S.-brokered ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. The current situation, involving potential crisis between Israel and Turkey, both key U.S. allies, could lead to a positive diplomatic outcome, contingent on Israel moderating its rhetoric and U.S. mediation.

Syria expects negotiations with Israel over a security agreement to resume soon, stressing that Damascus’ immediate priority is to halt Israeli attacks and establish confidence-building measures.

— Asaad Hassan al-ShaibaniStating Syria's conditions for resuming talks with Israel.

Syrian state media has portrayed the engagement positively, with Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani stating that Syria anticipates the resumption of negotiations over a security agreement. Syria's immediate priorities are to stop Israeli attacks and establish confidence-building measures. Al-Shaibani hopes a security accord will eventually lead to an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory, calling it a "historic opportunity" while diplomacy remains open.

We do not trust Israel at present. We deal with it through our interactions, but there is currently no trust.

— Asaad Hassan al-ShaibaniExpressing Syria's current level of trust in Israel.

However, significant distrust persists. Al-Shaibani admitted, "We do not trust Israel at present." Contacts were suspended following an Israeli attack on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in Idlib province. This highlights the limitations of military force, as strategist Clausewitz noted the intertwining of military operations and politics. Syria emphasizes the necessity of communication with a party that threatens its security but has no interest in unproductive talks.

The negotiations were frozen after the Iranian-Israeli war, and we hope they will resume in the near future so that we can complete this process.

— Asaad Hassan al-ShaibaniExplaining the reason for the suspension of previous talks.

Syria believes the U.S. can play a crucial role in achieving an agreement. Al-Shaibani indicated that while Israel has repeatedly attempted to secure its safety through hard power without success, the door for negotiations remains open. The Syrian diplomat expressed optimism that talks would resume soon, underscoring the belief that U.S. involvement is key to reaching a resolution.

Israel has repeatedly tried to preserve its security through hard power, and it has not succeeded…The door is open, and I believe negotiations will resume soon.

— Asaad Hassan al-ShaibaniCommenting on Israel's security strategy and the potential for future negotiations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog