syria’s Foreign Minister Signals Resumption of Security Talks with Israel
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said he expects talks with Israel over a security agreement to resume soon, while urging Israel to seize what Damascus describes as a “historic opportunity.”
According to al-Shaibani:
“Syria is extending its hand toward diplomacy”
and urging Israel to take advantage of this historic opportunity.
“If engagement with Israel does not produce results, we do not want it.”
The statements come amid reports by Axios that senior Syrian and Israeli officials held a meeting on Sunday aimed at reducing tensions following an Israeli airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria.
According to the report, the meeting brought together Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli security official Roman Gofman, only days after the Israeli strike.
Let that sink in:
Israel bombs Syrian territory.
Damascus responds by preparing for renewed security negotiations with Israel.
This raises a fundamental question:
What exactly happened to Syrian sovereignty?
If Israel can bomb a Syrian military facility and, days later, sit down with senior Syrian officials to discuss a security arrangement, then the issue is no longer simply “de-escalation.”
It is about the strategic direction of the Syrian state itself.
And there is a profound historical contradiction here.
The political project that brought Syria’s current leadership to power was built around confronting the Assad government and its allies.
Yet today, senior figures in Damascus are openly pursuing dialogue with the Israeli security establishment, even following an Israeli attack on Syrian territory.
Israel has not suddenly become Syria’s friend.
Israel has repeatedly demonstrated that it will use military force to pursue its own strategic interests inside Syria.
What has changed is Damascus’s willingness to accommodate Israel.
Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government simply emerged from the jihadist insurgency through Jabhat al-Nusra and its al-Qaeda lineage … let’s keep that in mind!
The forces that once presented themselves as part of a struggle against Syria’s “enemies” are now willing to negotiate directly with the state that is bombing Syrian territory.
And the question becomes even sharper:
If diplomatic engagement with Israel fails, as al-Shaibani himself says, what happens next ⁉️
Will Damascus demand an end to Israeli strikes ⁉️
Will it defend its territorial sovereignty⁉️
Or will the “security agreement” become a mechanism for managing — rather than confronting — Israel’s military presence and freedom of action in Syria⁉️
A state cannot credibly speak of sovereignty while treating attacks on its territory as an invitation to negotiate a new security arrangement.
From Israeli airstrikes to security talks in a matter of days — this is not merely diplomacy. It is a strategic choice.
And Syrians have every right to ask:
Who is Damascus negotiating with — and what exactly is Syria being asked to surrender in return?
The real story is not that Syria is talking to Israel.
The real story is what Syria may be prepared to accept from Israel after being bombed by it.