Syria and Israel to hold rare talks in Baku

In a surprising development, senior officials from Syria and Israel are expected to meet Saturday  on the sidelines of a visit by Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to Azerbaijan. 

The meeting, confirmed by a diplomatic source in Damascus familiar with the behind-the-scenes negotiations, reflects a tentative thaw between the two long-time adversaries.

While President al-Shareh is not expected to attend the meeting himself, the encounter marks the most direct contact between the two nations since the collapse of the Assad regime in December. 

The discussion will reportedly focus on Israel’s recent military deployments in Syrian territory, a sensitive issue that has stirred tensions in the region.

The diplomatic momentum comes amid a larger shift in Syria’s posture. Since an Islamist-led coalition seized power in Damascus late last year, bringing an end to 13 years of brutal civil war, the new leadership has signaled a willingness to avoid further conflict with its neighbors.

In May, former U.S. President Donald Trump—still an influential figure in Middle East diplomacy—claimed that al-Sharaa had privately expressed a readiness to explore normalization with Israel. 

This follows Syria’s early July statement declaring openness to restoring a 1974 security arrangement with Israel, brokered by the U.S. after the Yom Kippur War.

Despite this new tone, the road to peace remains fraught. Since December, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes across Syrian territory and deployed forces in the UN-monitored buffer zone in the Golan Heights, violating the terms of the 1974 disengagement accord, according to United Nations officials. 

Syria has so far refrained from retaliating and has acknowledged engaging in indirect communication with Israel to de-escalate tensions.

U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack recently stated that President al-Shareh expressed a desire to achieve “peace along the border.” 

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reiterated in late June that Israel is open to normalization talks, but ruled out any discussion of returning the Syrian Golan Heights, captured in 1967 and unilaterally annexed by Israel in 1981.

Still, Damascus has cautioned that talk of a formal peace agreement is “premature,” highlighting the deep mistrust and unresolved disputes that linger between the two nations.

Saturday’s meeting in Baku may not bring breakthroughs, but it signals a new phase—one where diplomacy, not just confrontation, is back on the table.