Mossad Chief and Syrian Foreign Minister Meet as Israel-Syria Tensions Persist

DAMASCUS/TEL AVIV: Israel and Syria have held a high-level meeting as part of efforts to reduce tensions between the two sides, with a source describing the meeting as “good.”

According to The Jerusalem Post, Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani met on Sunday. Israeli news channel N12 also confirmed the meeting between the two officials.

The meeting came a day after Al-Shaibani told Reuters that Israel should use the current diplomatic opening as a “historic opportunity” to reduce tensions in the region.

The Syrian foreign minister said communication with Israel was necessary, particularly with a country that continues to pose a security threat to Syria. However, he stressed that such contacts would serve little purpose if they failed to produce results.

Al-Shaibani also made clear that Syria currently does not trust Israel.

His remarks followed an Israeli strike on Syria’s Abu Al-Duhur military airbase on Tuesday. Two sources told The Jerusalem Post that the Israeli attack was reportedly aimed at preventing Turkey from installing radar and air-defense systems at the site.

The latest meeting is being viewed as a significant indication that, despite continuing tensions and a deep trust deficit, Israel and Syria are maintaining channels of communication and exploring diplomatic options to prevent further escalation.