Syria, Israel Discuss Strategies for Reinforcing Southern Syria Stability

(MENAFN) Syria's top diplomat, Assad Hassan al-Shibani, met with an Israeli delegation in Paris on Tuesday to discuss strategies for calming unrest and reinforcing stability in southern Syria, local media reported.

The closed-door discussions, held with U.S. mediation, focused on reactivating the long-standing 1974 disengagement accord and halting external involvement in Syria’s domestic matters. According to media, both parties emphasized the need to "de-escalate, ensure non-interference in Syria's internal affairs, and revive the 1974 disengagement agreement that has governed the frontier for decades."

Talks also addressed mechanisms to sustain the fragile ceasefire in Sweida province, a region marked by renewed volatility. The meeting is part of broader regional efforts to protect Syrian sovereignty and reduce military friction, media noted.

Earlier this month, al-Shibani traveled to Amman for consultations with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack. As reported by media, the three officials agreed to establish a tripartite Syrian-Jordanian-U.S. working group tasked with preserving the Sweida truce and laying groundwork for a long-term political resolution.

The urgency of these developments follows Israel’s controversial military move in December, when ground forces entered the demilitarized buffer zone separating Israeli-held Golan Heights from Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government.

That buffer zone remains under the surveillance of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, instituted under the 1974 agreement. After its initial deployment, Israel seized control of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.

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