כיכר השבת

Israel and Syria are holding direct talks

Israel and Syria are holding direct talks regarding "minimal security arrangements," according to the German news agency (DPA), citing Syrian sources close to the government in Damascus. The report indicates that these direct talks have been taking place in recent months, with Syria’s Defense Minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, personally involved on the Syrian side. It was further reported that some of these talks took place in Jordan, though no additional sources have confirmed this. The purpose of the talks, beyond security arrangements, is to explore an Israeli withdrawal from the territories captured by the IDF in southern Syria following the fall of the Assad regime. The sources stated that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is not willing at this stage to discuss a broader peace agreement, demands a full Israeli withdrawal from the territories Israel captured in southern Syria after the regime’s collapse, and strongly opposes any expansion of the demilitarized zone separating Syria and Israel.