Syria and Israel Revive Security Talks Mediated by the U.S.

The talks, in Paris, are the latest effort to reduce tensions between two longstanding enemies. A deal would help both curry favor with the Trump administration.A member of Syria’s security forces in September near the Golan Heights, which is the most enduring point of contention between Syria and Israel.Credit...Louai Beshara/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesJan. 6, 2026, 9:15 a.m. ETSyria and Israel have resumed U.S.-mediated talks about reducing tensions along their border, Syria’s state news agency reported on Monday, the latest attempt to reset relations between the two countries after decades of hostilities.The talks are being held in Paris on Tuesday, according to a Western diplomat and Syrian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Thomas J. Barrack Jr., the American special envoy to Syria and Lebanon, is mediating the discussions, the officials said.The discussions are focused on reviving a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone between the two countries’ forces, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a Syrian government source.The Syrian delegation is led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and the country’s intelligence chief, Hussein al-Salama, according to SANA, The news agency said the team was pushing for Israel to withdraw troops from territory that it seized after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.Previous rounds of talks have stalled in recent months, according to Syrian officials, as Israeli forces have carried out incursions deeper into Syrian territory.The talks are seen as part of an effort by the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to garner support on the international stage for his government and to reflect a more conciliatory approach to Israel than that of Mr. al-Assad.A security deal between Syria and Israel would also help both countries curry favor with the Trump administration, which has pushed for a U.S.-brokered agreement between them.Israel and Syria have been officially at war since 1948. The most enduring point of contention is the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured in the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and later annexed.Both countries signed an agreement in 1974 that established a buffer zone between their forces and largely kept the border quiet. But after a rebel alliance led by Mr. al-Sharaa toppled the al-Assad government, Israeli officials said they considered the agreement void.Israel has since occupied territory in southern Syria and carried out hundreds of airstrikes in the country, citing security concerns and saying it is acting in self-defense. Mr. al-Sharaa has said that his government has continued to abide by the 1974 armistice agreement despite Israel’s repeated violations of it.For much of the past year, Syrian officials have been talking to the Israelis, with U.S. mediation, about a possible security agreement for southern Syria.But that mediation has faced several setbacks, including a flare-up after Israel carried out airstrikes in July near the presidential palace in Damascus and damaged the Defense Ministry. Mr. al-Sharaa subsequently accused Israel of seeking to sow “chaos” in Syria, his most direct condemnation of Israel since he took power last year.In the latest round of talks, Syrian officials are looking to establish a reciprocal arrangement that guarantees Syrian sovereignty and prevents Israeli interference in Syria’s internal affairs, according to SANA.Syria’s economy and military were largely destroyed during the 13-year civil war, which has given the country very limited leverage in the talks, analysts say. Syria has also been concerned about whether it can trust Israel to abide by any agreement brokered along the two countries’ borders, according to Syrian officials.Israeli officials previously said that Israel wanted to keep troops in Syria to prevent hostile forces from entrenching near its borders. Israel also wants southern Syria to remain free of Syrian government troops because it distrusts the forces, which include former rebels, some of whom were part of extremist factions.Euan Ward and Reham Mourshed contributed reporting.Christina Goldbaum is The Times’s bureau chief in Beirut, leading coverage of Lebanon and Syria.SKIP