Syria confirmed Sunday that senior Syrian and Israeli officials held US-mediated talks in Jordan aimed at reducing tensions following a series of Israeli military operations in Syrian territory.
The Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a diplomatic source at the Foreign Ministry, said the Syrian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and included the chiefs of general and military intelligence.
Israeli reports previously said Mossad chief Roman Gofman led the Israeli delegation, although SANA did not identify the Israeli representatives.
According to SANA, the discussions focused on “establishing practical mechanisms to halt" Israeli strikes and military activity in southern Syria. Damascus also reiterated its position “that the occupied Golan is Syrian territory" and said its main priority “is the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the lines held before December 8, 2024, and the reactivation and full implementation" of the 1974 disengagement agreement.
The Syrian statement said Damascus is also seeking “to bridge differences" between Israel and Syria in order to “ensure that tensions between the two countries do not spill over onto Syrian territory."
The meeting came days after Israel carried out an airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military base in eastern Idlib, sharply increasing tensions between Jerusalem and Damascus.
Israel said the operation was launched after Syria appeared poised to violate an understanding by allowing Turkish forces to establish a presence at the facility.
“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo," the Prime Minister's Office said last week.
Shaibani subsequently disputed Israel's assessment in comments to Axios, saying Damascus had made clear that Turkey would not establish a military base or permanent deployment at Abu al-Duhur.
"[T]here was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site," Al-Shaibani said in written responses to Axios.
He said the work at the facility was instead part of efforts to restore infrastructure damaged during the war.
The Syrian foreign minister said the work "was limited to rehabilitating the airfield and its facilities that were damaged during the war," for the use of the Syrian Air Force.
"There was no Turkish military build-up at the base in any sense that would justify such an interpretation," he wrote. "The base was, in fact, largely empty. It had not yet been fully rehabilitated or become fully operational, and the work there was still at the rehabilitation stage.
"Therefore, linking the strike to a Turkish military presence at the base is not supported by the situation on the ground as it stood at the time," he added.