US Special Envoy to Syria and Iraq Thomas Barack met late Tuesday with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani in Ankara, shortly after Al-Shaibani concluded talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The back-to-back meetings come amid rising military friction involving Israel, Syria, and Turkey.
In a statement on X, Barack said Shibani conveyed a clear commitment to reducing tensions in a region that “cannot tolerate miscalculations.”
“Diplomacy is not theater; it is the patient alignment of interests before events run away from us,” Barack wrote, adding that he valued an interlocutor who understands that “restraint and dialogue are also forms of strength.”
The diplomatic push follows Israel’s airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in eastern Idlib, an attack that triggered sharp exchanges between Ankara and Tel Aviv. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar later acknowledged that both sides share an interest in lowering friction, though he defended the strike by citing intelligence concerns over expanding military infrastructure in the area.
Sa’ar noted that momentum toward a formal security arrangement between Israel and Syria has slowed since President Ahmad al-Sharaa took office, attributing the shift partly to reduced international pressure on Damascus. Still, he said maintaining stability along the border remains a priority for both governments.
Washington continues to mediate efforts aimed at containing the conflict and establishing a bilateral security framework between Damascus and Tel Aviv. Those efforts include a high-level Syrian-Israeli meeting hosted by Jordan on August 23, 2026, which brought together Al-Shaibani and Mossad Director Roman Gofman.
Earlier this month, Al-Shaibani reiterated that Syria remains committed to a diplomatic path to halt Israeli strikes and secure a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syrian territory.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.