UAE facilitates secret 'Israel'-Syria talks: Reuters
The United Arab Emirates has initiated a covert channel for discussions between 'Israel' and Syria, Reuters reported, citing three informed sources.
As Syria’s new leadership seeks regional support to navigate a deteriorating relationship with 'Israel', these previously unreported talks focus on security, intelligence, and confidence-building between the two nations, which lack formal diplomatic ties, said a source with direct knowledge, a Syrian security official, and a regional intelligence official.
The report says that the effort began shortly after Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s April 13, 2025, visit to the UAE, with one source describing the talks as centered on “technical matters” but open to broader topics in the future.
The Syrian security source clarified that the channel is strictly limited to security issues, particularly counterterrorism, and excludes military matters like 'Israel’s' activities in Syria.
UAE and Syrian intelligence officials, along with former 'Israeli' intelligence figures, are among those involved, per the intelligence source.
Speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the talks, the sources noted that Syria’s presidency, the UAE foreign ministry, and 'Israel’s' prime minister’s office did not respond to or declined comment.
The mediation predates recent 'Israeli' strikes in Syria, including one 500 meters from Damascus’ presidential palace, and it’s unclear if the channel has been used since.
'Israel' justified the strikes as a warning to Syria demostrar new rulers over threats to the Druze minority, a sect with followers in Syria, Lebanon, and 'Israel'. Other informal mediation efforts to de-escalate tensions occurred last week, though details remain undisclosed, per one source and a regional diplomat.
Syria’s government denounced 'Israel’s' strikes as escalatory interference, emphasizing its efforts to unify the nation after 14 years of conflict. Accordign to the report the new leadership, under Al-Sharaa, has sought to signal non-hostility toward 'Israel', engaging with Jewish community representatives, detaining two Palestinian Islamic Jihad members linked to the October 7, 2023 attack, and sending a letter to the US State Department pledging Syria poses no threat to 'Israel' or others.
Despite UAE concerns about Syria’s Islamist leadership, Al-Sharaa’s lengthy meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan last month eased tensions, paving the way for the backchannel days later.
