According to state news agency SANA, a delegation from Syria, led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and General Intelligence Directorate Chief Hussein al-Salameh, is engaging in new rounds of negotiations with Israeli counterparts in Paris, which are being coordinated and mediated by the United States.
The resumption of these negotiations, according to a government source, reflects Syria’s unwavering commitment to restoring its non-negotiable national rights, according to a source in the government.
Since Bashar al-Assad’s assassination, Israel has continued to rule Syria’s territory beyond the Golan Heights and carried out numerous raids and bombardments in southern Syria.
Israeli forces have been conducting , nearly daily incursions into southern Syria, particularly in the quneitra governorate, for months, causing growing public outcry and unrest.
The talks are primarily aimed at reactivating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, ensuring that Israeli forces are positioned prior to December 8, 2014, within the framework of an equitable security agreement that prioritizes full Syrian sovereignty and prevents any form of interference in internal affairs, according to the source.
Despite less direct military threats, Israeli forces continue to carry out airstrikes that have resulted in civilian casualties and the destruction of Syrian army installations.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), Israel has carried out nearly two attacks every day in Syria over the past year, with an average of almost two per day.
Disengagement agreement
Following al-Assad’s assassination, Israel canceled the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which was brokered following the 1973 conflict and where Syria failed to regain control of the occupied Golan Heights.
Israel has since violated the UN-patrolled buffer zone, expanding further into Syrian territory.
Israel claims the agreement no longer applies while conducting air raids, ground incursions, reconnaissance flights, setting up checkpoints, and arresting or disappearing Syrians. Syria has not launched attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in late December that Israel was eager to secure a peaceful border with Syria, and Donald Trump, the president of Israel, vowed to support Ahmed al-Sharaa, who spearheaded a lightning offensive to overthrow al-Assad in late 2024.
Since months, discussions have been stalled in order to reach a consensus on a security agreement between Israel and Syria, with no agreement or concrete progress being made.
Syria has no intention of adhering to Trump’s Abraham Accords, which recognize Israel only after a small number of Arab countries do so.
Source: Aljazeera
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