AhlulBayt News Agency: A delegation from Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime has held a new round of talks with Israeli officials in Paris, as the new authorities urge Tel Aviv to halt deadly attacks on the country and withdraw from territories occupied following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
Syria’s state news agency (SANA) reported on Monday that the Syrian delegation was headed by the HTS regime’s foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, and General Intelligence Director-General Hussein al-Salama.
A source told SANA that the talks were held under the coordination and mediation of the United States, and focused on reaching “a balanced security agreement.”
“The talks are primarily focused on reactivating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli forces to their positions prior to December 8, 2014, within the framework of an equitable security agreement that prioritizes full Syrian sovereignty and guarantees the prevention of any form of interference in internal affairs,” the source added.
The two sides have been engaged in on-and-off talks to reach a “security agreement” for months, but no deal or concrete progress has been announced.
Israel has conducted repeated acts of aggression across the Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024, including airstrikes targeting military installations, facilities, and arsenals previously operated by Syria’s now-defunct army.
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory beyond the 1967-occupied Golan Heights and seize several strategic locations.
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), a US-based war monitor, has recently revealed that the Israeli military has carried out more than 600 attacks on Syria over the past year.
Instead of resistance to the ongoing Israeli military operations, HTS’s lack of action and its normalization overtures to Tel Aviv appear to have given Israel greater leeway to expand its occupation and conduct more airstrikes and ground incursions.
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