Syrian and Israeli officials have met in Paris for U.S.-mediated talks in the latest attempt to reset decades of hostility between the two countries.
The meeting Tuesday, between the Syrian foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, and an Israeli delegation, was the first time that Syria’s new government has publicly acknowledged holding direct talks with the country’s powerful neighbor and longtime foe.
The discussions focused on de-escalation following deadly clashes last month between Syrian government forces and the Druse minority in the southern province of Sweida. The sectarian violence left more than 1,600 people dead and prompted Israel to launch airstrikes on Damascus in defense of the Druse.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government on the meetings, which were brokered by the U.S. special envoy to Syria, Thomas J. Barrack Jr.
But Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druse community, said in an interview Wednesday that he joined the delegation alongside Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs. Mr. Dermer’s office declined to comment when asked about the meetings with Syrian officials.
Israel and Syria have technically been at war since 1948 with their most enduring point of contention being the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel seized in the Six Day war in 1967 and later annexed. The two countries signed an agreement in 1974 that created a buffer zone by the United Nations and largely kept the border quiet, but Syrian efforts to recover the territory never advanced and violence on the front has periodically flared up.
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The post After Deadly Clashes, Syria and Israel Hold Direct Talks appeared first on New York Times.
