Israel and Post-Assad Syria Hold Direct Talks to Avoid Border Conflict
Sources reveal face-to-face meetings aimed at reducing tensions, with U.S. backing new Islamist-led government in Damascus.
Watan-According to five informed sources, Israel and Syria have established direct contact and held face-to-face meetings in recent weeks aimed at containing border tensions and preventing a military conflict in the Golan region.
These talks mark a major development in bilateral relations, as the United States encourages Syria’s new Islamist-led government in Damascus to normalize ties with Israel, while Israel reduces its airstrikes inside Syrian territory.
The meetings were reportedly led by senior Syrian security official Ahmed Dalati, who was appointed governor of Quneitra—the province bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights—after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Two Syrian sources, two Western sources, and a regional intelligence official confirmed that the direct talks follow previous indirect negotiations through mediators since Assad’s removal.
Due to the sensitivity of the issue, all sources requested anonymity, as Israel and Syria have no formal diplomatic ties and share a long history of hostility. No prior public reports had revealed the existence or content of these direct meetings.
New Syrian Leadership Role
On the Syrian side, the talks were spearheaded by Ahmed Dalati, whose proximity to the Golan frontier and recent appointment as head of internal security in Sweida—a southern province home to the Druze minority—highlight his rising influence under the new Syrian leadership.
It remains unclear who represented the Israeli delegation, but two of the sources confirmed the participants were senior security officials.
These quiet diplomatic steps reflect a strategic shift as both countries face changing regional dynamics and pressure to avoid a broader confrontation—particularly amid U.S. efforts to reshape alliances in the post-Assad era.
