AhlulBayt News Agency: Recently, Israel and Syria have engaged in direct communication through face-to-face meetings. These discussions emerged after Syria's self-declared president, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, expressed his aspiration to eventually normalize relations with the regime.
At present, the direct discussions primarily center around security issues, including efforts to minimize Israeli incursions into Syrian border villages. However, some regional and Western sources suggest that these talks might lay the groundwork for more expansive political agreements.
A source close to the secret negotiations commented, "For now, these engagements are focused on peace—the absence of conflict—rather than full normalization."
Earlier this month, Jolani, also known by the name Ahmed al-Sharaa, verified that indirect negotiations with Israel had taken place, stating that their goal was to ease escalating tensions.
In a recent development, Syria’s new leadership has consented to the transfer of a collection of belongings of the late famed Israeli spy, Eli Cohen.
Jolani, who was previously associated with al-Qaeda and Daesh, spearheaded the HTS militias in toppling President Bashar al-Assad’s government last year.
On December 8, the HTS militant group took hold of Damascus, marking the culmination of a rapid offensive that started two weeks earlier in the northwestern province of Aleppo and ultimately ended Assad’s 24-year regime.
Since assuming power, the HTS administration has been implicated in blatant human rights abuses in Syria, especially targeting minorities such as the Alawite community, and has faced broad international condemnation.
Earlier this month, a series of violent confrontations between HTS gunmen and people from a Druze community in Syria resulted in dozens of fatalities and sparked concerns over severe sectarian conflict.
Historically, the Druze minority had supported Assad’s government and opposed the Israeli occupation and its expansionist policies, notably in the occupied Golan Heights.
Following their takeover, HTS and its leader Jolani embarked on initiatives that observers characterize as attempts to divert attention from their past, including efforts to establish formal communications with Western nations such as France.
These latest developments coincide with the US urging the new HTS authorities in Damascus to initiate relations with Israel.
After meeting Jolani during his tour of several Arab states in the Persian Gulf, US President Donald Trump remarked that the Syrian leader appeared open to eventually normalizing relations with Israel.
Trump further announced plans to remove all of Washington’s sanctions on Syria, contingent on the new Syrian administration reportedly proposing to establish “peace” with the Israeli regime, which is the United States' closest regional ally.
This announcement was made in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, during the president’s visit to the kingdom.
Additionally, the US president advised the Israeli regime to strive toward an agreement with the HTS leaders.
Simultaneously, Israel has been lobbying Washington to maintain Syria as a weak and decentralized state.
In the midst of the conflict, Israel initiated a series of airstrikes, one of which targeted an area just outside the presidential palace in view of Damascus. These aerial attacks have significantly damaged the nation's military infrastructure.
The most recent reports suggest that several senior Palestinian resistance officials have reportedly departed Syria and that their organizations have been disarmed, following increasing pressure from the new Syrian authorities.
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