Syria Tells Israel It Won't Limit Military Buildup in Security Deal Talks - Israel Security
Syria told Israel that it would not accept restrictions on its right to develop its military capabilities or form alliances with other countries as part of a future security arrangement, Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported Sunday night, citing a diplomatic source.
According to the source, talks between the two countries focused on developing practical mechanisms to halt Israeli strikes in Syria and reviving negotiations toward a security agreement that could eventually serve as the basis for a broader accord.
SANA reported that Damascus stressed that it would reject any mechanisms limiting Syrian sovereignty. Its immediate priority, according to the report, is the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the lines held before December 8, 2024, and the full implementation of the 1974 disengagement agreement. The diplomatic source said any future security arrangement must also respect Syria's territorial integrity.
The report came after Mossad Chief Roman Gofman met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Sunday in an effort to defuse tensions between the two countries following Israel's strike on Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase last week.
Reuters reported last week that Gofman and al-Shaibani had also spoken by phone several days before the strike and discussed Turkey's military presence in Syria. Axios first reported Sunday's meeting, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, al-Shaibani said negotiations over a security agreement with Israel had been frozen since the start of the Iran war and that contact between the two countries was cut following the airbase strike. He nevertheless said he expected negotiations to resume soon and hoped an agreement would ultimately lead to Israel's withdrawal from Syrian territory.
Al-Shaibani said the United States was continuously pressing Israel to return to negotiations and urged Israel to seize what he called a "historic opportunity" while the door to diplomacy remains open. He said Damascus' priority is to halt Israeli attacks and that confidence-building measures are needed.
"We believe there should be contact, especially with a party that constantly threatens the security of Syria. But if this contact doesn't bring results, then we don't need it," al-Shaibani said. "We do not trust Israel currently."
Asked about the prospects for an agreement, al-Shaibani said it was "very hard to bet on Israel," but that Syria had "very great hope" of establishing stable relations with its neighbors. "Syria is extending its hand for understandings, for peace, for diplomacy" and regional stability, he said.
Israel said following the strike that Damascus was preparing to allow Turkish forces to deploy at the airbase. Syria and Turkey denied the claim, and al-Shaibani said Israel struck the base even after Syria conveyed that it would not be used as a Turkish base.
Al-Shaibani said Syria receives training and military assistance from Turkey, as well as support from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other countries. He said Damascus was grateful for Turkey's help in rebuilding the Syrian military and "will not give up that support."
Washington has sought for more than a year to broker a security agreement between Israel and the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The talks have yet to produce an agreement amid Israeli strikes on Syrian government assets and the deployment of Israeli troops inside Syrian territory, which Israel says are necessary for its security.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not respond to al-Shaibani's remarks.