Israel, Syria agree to dedicated communication line in US-brokered talks

Joint mechanism will be used to de-escalate militarily, and may pave the road for an eventual security agreement.Published On 6 Jan 2026Israel and Syria agreed to set up a joint mechanism for sharing intelligence and coordinating military de-escalation under United States supervision.The “dedicated communication cell”, as Tuesday’s joint statement described the mechanism, will also facilitate “diplomatic engagement and commercial opportunities”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Syrian delegation meets Israelis in Paris amid sovereignty breacheslist 2 of 4‘Closing his eyes’: Why is Russia’s Putin quiet on US abduction of Maduro?list 3 of 4Iran’s New Year demonstrations and the question of regime survivallist 4 of 4Deadly battles break out between Kurdish-led fighters and Syria forcesend of listIsrael and Syria have been in intermittent talks over the last year in an attempt to find a security agreement that would stop Israel’s repeated attacks on its northeastern neighbour.The latest statement comes after meetings held between Israeli and Syrian officials, including the Syrian foreign minister, in Paris on Monday and Tuesday, as the US attempts to get negotiations back on track.“The mechanism will serve as a platform to address any disputes promptly and work to prevent misunderstandings,” the statement said.However, a Syrian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency it would be impossible to move forward on “strategic files” with Israel without a clear and enforceable timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Syrian territory seized since the December 2024 overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad.The official added that the talks ended with an initiative to suspend all Israeli military activity against Syria, something that was not confirmed from the Israeli side.‘Military de-escalation’Israel has illegally occupied areas of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967, but expanded further into Syrian territory in the past year, including the seizure of the strategic Jabal al-Sheikh, a mountain that lies between Israel and Syria.