Syrian foreign minister sees Israel security talks resuming despite no trust | The Express Tribune
Syrian foreign minister sees Israel security talks resuming despite no trust | The Express Tribune
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Syrian foreign minister sees Israel security talks resuming despite no trust
Damascus insists Tel Aviv must halt attacks first as Washin
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Syrian foreign minister sees Israel security talks resuming despite no trust
Damascus insists Tel Aviv must halt attacks first as Washington pushes both sides back to table
August 23, 2026
4 min read
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Damascus, Syria, August 22, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
Syria expects negotiations to resume soon with Israel over a security deal it hopes will lead to Israel's withdrawal from Syrian land, a top Syrian minister said, urging Israel to seize a "historic opportunity" as the door for diplomacy is open.
interview in Damascus on Saturday, days after Israel
bombed a Syrian airbase
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also stressed that Damascus' priority is to halt
Israeli attacks
, saying confidence-building steps were needed in this direction.
Washington has been seeking to forge a security deal between Israel and the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a new United States ally in the Middle East, for over a year. But it has proven elusive as Israel has sent troops into Syrian territory and attacked government assets, citing threats to its security.
Syria mulls joining Makkah pact
Shaibani said negotiations over the security agreement had been frozen since the start of
the Iran war
but he expected them to restart. Contact between Syria and Israel was cut after the airbase strike, he said.
"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," Shaibani said. "We do not trust Israel currently."
The Israeli prime minister's office did not respond to a request for comment.
US pressure
Sharaa has said Syria poses no threat to other countries, with Damascus focused on rebuilding from 14 years of war.
Israeli officials have talked about a range of potential dan