Officials from the new Syrian leadership and Israel recently held direct talks in Azerbaijan, an Israeli source familiar with the negotiations told CNN in a report on Friday.
Among the Israeli officials was IDF Operations Directorate chief Maj.-Gen. Oded Basyuk, according to CNN’s source. The military official met with representatives of the new Syrian government alongside Turkish officials.
Syria also allegedly expressed interest in joining Abraham Accords
When asked by CNN, the IDF said that none of its officials had direct talks with any Syrian representatives, but did not comment on whether the recent talks in Azerbaijan took place.
The framework includes Israel’s and Syria’s mutual recognition of sovereignty; the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, with ambassadorial exchanges and embassies in each capital; and a formal end to hostilities.
These reports come a week and a half after Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said that the country had other indirect talks with Israel as IDF strikes continued to target Syria in order to “calm the situation.” Sharaa didn’t disclose who was mediating the talks.
Reuters reported that the United Arab Emirates has set up a back channel for talks between Israel and Syria.
Trump's meeting with Sharaa
This past week, US President Donald Trump urged Sharaa to sign the Abraham Accords with Israel during their meeting ahead of the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh.
The president also urged the new Syrian leader to “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, and help the US prevent the resurgence of ISIS.”
The meeting between the two came a day after Trump lifted sanctions on Israel’s northeastern neighbor.
Sharaa did express interest in joining the Abraham Accords last month while meeting with US Representative Cory Mills, “under the correct conditions.”
Mills told Bloomberg that he laid out the Trump administration’s demands in order for sanctions against Damascus to be lifted.
Reuters, Amichai Stein, and Rizik Alabi/The Media Line contributed to this report.