Latest news with #demilitarized
Jordan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Syria says meeting with Israeli officials sought to 'contain escalation'
DAMASCUS — A Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the escalation" after recent sectarian violence in southern Syria prompted Israeli intervention. Israel launched strikes this month on Damascus and Druze-majority Sweida province, saying it was acting both in support of the religious minority and to enforce its demands for a demilitarised southern Syria. The Syrian diplomatic source told state television on Saturday that the recent Paris meeting "brought together a delegation from the foreign ministry and the general intelligence service with the Israeli side", and addressed "recent security developments and attempts to contain the escalation in southern Syria". On Thursday, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack had said he held talks with unspecified Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris. A senior diplomat had previously told AFP that Barrack would be facilitating talks between Damascus's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. According to the source cited by state TV, the meeting "addressed the possibility of reactivating the disengagement agreement with international guarantees, while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from points where they recently advanced". After the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the countries' forces in the strategic Golan Heights. It has since conducted incursions deeper into southern Syria, demanding the area's total demilitarisation. Damascus had previously confirmed holding indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement that created the buffer zone. The Paris meeting "did not result in any final agreements but rather represented initial consultations that aimed to reduce tensions and reopen communication channels in light of the ongoing escalation since early December", the diplomatic source said. Toll tops 1,400 More meetings were planned, the source said, adding that the Syrian side had emphasised that the country's unity and sovereignty were non-negotiable. "Sweida and its people are an integral part of the Syrian state," the delegation said, according to the source. The week of clashes in Sweida, which began on July 13, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, but government forces intervened on the side of the latter, according to witnesses, experts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. The Observatory said on Saturday that the violence had killed more than 1,400 people, the vast majority in the week between July 13 and a ceasefire last weekend. It said the dead included 928 Druze, 533 of them fighters and 395 civilians, 250 of whom were "summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel". The toll also included 428 government security personnel and 43 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were "summarily executed by Druze fighters", according to the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria. Another 15 government personnel were killed in Israeli strikes, it added. Syrian and Israeli officials had previously met in Baku on July 12, according to a diplomatic source in Damascus, coinciding with a visit to Azerbaijan by Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The two countries have technically been at war since 1948, and Israel has occupied the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria, since 1967. After Assad's ouster, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to prevent key military assets from falling into the hands of the new Islamist-led administration.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Syria's al-Sharaa met Israeli security official in UAE: Exclusive
Diplomatic sources have revealed to Al Mayadeen that Syrian interim president Ahmad Al-Sharaa held a secret meeting on Wednesday with the Israeli occupation's National Security Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi. The high-level encounter was reportedly coordinated directly by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. According to the sources, both al-Sharaa and Hanegbi arrived in Abu Dhabi aboard separate flights that landed at nearly the same time. The meeting, which took place in the city, marks what the sources described as 'a significant development' in the ongoing clandestine normalization negotiations between Damascus and Tel Aviv. The sources further disclosed that a degree of coordination has been developing between certain new security agencies in Damascus and the Israeli occupation. One of the key outcomes of the meeting, according to the sources, was a concession offered by al-Sharaa regarding the occupied Syrian Golan Heights in exchange for international backing to secure his position in power. Ongoing negotiations reportedly include the establishment of three demilitarized zones in southern Syria, covering Daraa, Quneitra, and As-Suweida provinces. These zones would see the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from military barracks, and any Syrian army or police units operating in those areas would be limited to using light arms only. Israeli media also reported that a Syrian businessman and political activist recently visited the Knesset, allegedly delivering a message from al-Sharaa expressing interest in normalization with the Israeli occupation. The businessman was quoted as saying al-Sharaa believes the region is witnessing 'opportunities that come only once in a century.' This comes just days after al-Sharaa's official visit to the United Arab Emirates on July 7 to meet with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed. It also coincides with the arrival of US envoy Tom Barrack to Syria on Wednesday afternoon, following his recent visit to Lebanon. Syria is demanding the return of at least one-third of the Golan Heights territory occupied by "Israel" prior to the 1974 armistice agreement, according to a source close to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who spoke to i24NEWS on Thursday. "There is no such thing as peace for free," the source said, outlining two potential scenarios for a political settlement. The first scenario, the official indicated, would see "Israel" retaining strategic areas equivalent to one-third of the Golan Heights and handing over a third to Syria. The remaining third is leased to "Israel" by Syria for 25 years. Read more: 'Israel', Syria discuss security agreement against Hezbollah, Iran According to the Syrian official, the second scenario would see "Israel" keeping two-thirds of the occupied Golan Heights and handing over one-third to Syria, with the possibility of leasing it. Under this scenario, the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli and possibly additional Lebanese territories, including the Beqaa Valley, would be handed over to Syria, the official revealed. The source said that Syria aims to "reclaim sovereignty" over Tripoli, which it considers one of five regions detached from Syria to form the Lebanese state during the French Mandate, pointing out that the return of these areas, including other northern Lebanese regions, should be part of a comprehensive agreement. As part of the broader settlement, Syria is proposing a regional water agreement involving Turkey, Syria, and "Israel". This would allow "Israel" to extend a pipeline to transport water from the Euphrates River.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel strikes Syrian city, vows to protect Druze from government forces
SWEIDA (Reuters) -Israel carried out strikes against Syrian government forces in the Sweida region of southern Syria on Tuesday, saying it was acting to protect the Druze minority and vowing to ensure the area near the Israeli border remained demilitarized. A Reuters reporter heard at least four strikes as drones could be heard overhead and saw a damaged tank being towed away from the city, where bursts of gunfire were heard as violence entered a third day. The upsurge in violence in the predominantly Druze city marks the latest challenge for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in a corner of Syria where Israel has vowed to protect the Druze minority. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the military "to immediately strike regime forces and weaponry that were brought into the Sweida region ... for the regime's operations against the Druze," they said in a statement. "Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherhood alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel," they said. "We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them and to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria. Earlier on Tuesday an influential Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, issued a statement accusing Syrian government forces of breaching a ceasefire and bombarding the city and called on fighters to confront government troops. Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra later issued a statement declaring that a complete ceasefire was in place, and saying government forces would only open fire if fired upon.
Al Arabiya
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Israel says would negotiate permanent Gaza ceasefire during 60-day truce
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was ready to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza during a 60-day truce but only if the Palestinian territory was demilitarized. Delegations from Israel and Hamas began indirect talks in Doha on Sunday to try to agree a temporary halt in the war, which was sparked by the militant group's October 2023 attack. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has proposed a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of half of the 20 living hostages still in Gaza, Netanyahu said on Wednesday. 'At the beginning of this ceasefire, we will enter negotiations for a permanent end to the war,' he said in a video message from Washington on Thursday. He said Israel's 'fundamental conditions' were that 'Hamas lays down its weapons' and no longer has 'governing or military capabilities.' 'If this can be achieved through negotiations, great. If it cannot be achieved through negotiations within 60 days, we will achieve it through other means, by using force, the force of our heroic army,' he said. Hamas said on Wednesday it had agreed to release 10 living hostages but on Thursday it said it opposed a deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza. It also wants the free flow of aid into the territory to ease a humanitarian crisis, and 'real guarantees' for a lasting peace. The Israeli premier called Hamas 'a ruthless terror organization' and said he wanted the release of all those being held. But he added: 'We will do everything in order to maximize (the number of those released) in this round, in the best way possible. Not everything is in our hands.'
