Amman (Diplomat.so) - Syria's Foreign Ministry** said Sunday, August 23, that a high-level Syrian delegation met Israeli representatives in Jordan under U.S. mediation to reduce escalating regional tensions.
The Syrian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and included the chiefs of the country’s general and military intelligence services, according to a Syrian diplomatic source. The ministry did not identify members of the Israeli delegation, describing it only as high-level.
The talks followed Israel’s August 18 strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase and mounting tensions in southern Syria. The Syrian source said the meeting was convened "as part of efforts aimed at reducing escalation” and supporting stability in Syria and the wider region.
The discussions produced an understanding to establish a Syrian-Turkish-Israeli security committee intended to address security disputes and prevent direct confrontation among the parties, according to information attributed to Syrian officials. U.S. and Jordanian involvement would provide channels for communication as Damascus, Ankara and Israel manage increasingly sensitive military activity.
Separate accounts identified Mossad Director Roman Gofman as the senior Israeli participant. Diplomat News Network could not independently confirm the full composition of the Israeli delegation. The talks reportedly examined practical mechanisms for stopping Israeli strikes, arrests and targeting operations and reviving negotiations toward a security agreement.
The Syrian delegation maintained that Damascus would not accept arrangements restricting its sovereign authority to rebuild its armed forces or determine its international partnerships. A Syrian diplomatic source quoted by the state news agency SANA said Syria "has the full right to rebuild and develop its national army” and choose alliances consistent with its national interests.
Damascus also reiterated its position that the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights is Syrian territory, though the Syrian source said discussion of its final status remained premature at the current stage of negotiations.
The immediate Syrian priority is an Israeli withdrawal to positions held before December 8, 2024, alongside full restoration of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which established separation arrangements between Syrian and Israeli forces following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
The diplomatic effort comes amid growing concern that Israeli military operations and expanding Syrian-Turkish defense cooperation could create additional points of friction. Washington has been working on mechanisms to prevent accidental confrontation among the three countries.
For Damascus, the proposed committee could provide a practical crisis-management channel without resolving the larger territorial dispute. Its effectiveness will depend on whether the parties translate the discussions into limits on military escalation and sustained negotiations over security arrangements.
