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Senior Syrian and Israeli officials will meet Monday in Paris for renewed negotiations on a border security agreement, marking the first talks between the two sides in nearly two months as the Trump administration pushes for a deal to stabilize the volatile frontier.
Axios reported that the fifth round of negotiations will take place over two days with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani leading his country's delegation, according to an Israeli official and another source with knowledge of the talks. President Trump's Syria envoy Tom Barrack will mediate the discussions.
The resumption follows a direct request from Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting last Monday at Mar-a-Lago, where the U.S. president emphasized that negotiations must continue to reach an agreement soon, the source said. Netanyahu agreed while stressing any deal must preserve Israel's security requirements.
Israel has assembled a new negotiating team after the resignation of its previous top negotiator, Ron Dermer. Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, a close Netanyahu confidant, will head the Israeli delegation. The team also includes General Roman Gofman, Netanyahu's military adviser who has been nominated to lead the Mossad intelligence agency, and Gill Reich, the prime minister's acting national security adviser.
The talks had been on hold due to significant disagreements between the parties and the change in Israel's negotiating leadership.
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The proposed security pact aims to establish a demilitarized zone in southern Syria and facilitate Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory that Israeli military occupied following the collapse of the Assad regime. The agreement could represent an initial step toward potential diplomatic normalization between the two countries, though officials have not outlined a specific timeline for such a development.
Speaking after his Mar-a-Lago meeting with Netanyahu, Trump expressed optimism about the negotiations. "We do have an understanding regarding Syria. I'm sure that Israel and [Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara] will get along. I will try and make it so that they do get along, I think they will," he said.
Netanyahu indicated after the meeting that Israel seeks a peaceful border with Syria and protection for the Druze minority population in the country. The Druze community, which maintains populations in both Syria and Israel, has been a consideration in Israeli security planning for the border region.
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