Syria says Israel security talks could resume soon despite ‘no trust’

The talks, which Washington has been trying to broker for more than a year, were frozen after the start of the Iran war and no date has yet been set for their resumption. Contact between Israel and Syria was also cut after Israel bombed the Abu al-Duhur airbase last week, Shaibani 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,” he said. “We do not trust Israel currently.”

Still, Shaibani said he expected negotiations to resume and accused Israel of relying on force rather than diplomacy. “Israel has tried to maintain its security through brute force and it hasn’t succeeded” anywhere, he said. “I believe negotiations will resume soon.” He added that the United States was continuing to pressure Israel to return to the negotiating table. Asked how optimistic he was, he replied: “It’s very hard to bet on Israel.”

Shaibani said that around the beginning of the year, Israel and Syria had “agreed on paper to almost everything” in a proposed security arrangement. Under the draft, Israel would stop attacking Syria and the agreement would be tied to an Israeli withdrawal from territory seized after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The proposal would establish several security zones inside Syrian territory near the Israeli border, including a buffer zone where only United Nations forces would be present. Other zones would allow varying levels of Syrian military deployment. Shaibani said Damascus ultimately concluded that Israel was trying to avoid implementation. “We did not see they had the real will to reach an agreement,” he said.

The negotiations were designed to address a rapidly changing security landscape after Assad’s fall in 2024. Israel seized territory in southwestern Syria and struck numerous Syrian military sites, saying it was acting to prevent threats from emerging near its border. Damascus, under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said Syria poses no threat to neighboring countries and is focused on rebuilding after 14 years of war.

Shaibani said Syria recognizes Israel’s security concerns but expects Israel to recognize Syria’s concerns as well, including Israeli use of Syrian airspace, strikes and raids in the south. His immediate priority, he said, is to “stop Israeli aggression even before reaching a security agreement.”

Only after that, he added, could broader issues be discussed. “Then perhaps we can open the topics of peace and the Golan.” Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, and the two countries have technically remained in a state of war since 1948.

Tensions intensified after Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase on Tuesday, saying Damascus was preparing to allow Turkish forces to deploy there. Syria and Turkey denied the claim, and Shaibani said Damascus had conveyed a message before the strike that the base would not become a Turkish military facility.

He stressed, however, that Syria would continue receiving Turkish military assistance. Damascus relies on Turkey for military training and cooperation, he said, while also working with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other countries. Syria was grateful for Turkey’s help in rebuilding its military, he added, and “we won’t forgo support.”

Despite the breakdown in contact and the latest Israeli strike, Shaibani’s message was that Damascus has not closed the diplomatic door. The opportunity remains, he argued, but only if Israel chooses negotiations over force.