(All Israel News)—U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack announced on Thursday that the United States had facilitated the first meeting between Israeli and Syrian ministers in a quarter of a century. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Paris, France.
“I met this evening with the Syrians and Israelis in Paris. Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation, and we accomplished precisely that. All parties reiterated their commitment to continuing these efforts,” Barrack wrote on 𝕏.
The last time a high-level meeting was held between Israel and Syria was in 2000 when former U.S. President Bill Clinton facilitated a meeting between former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa.
Israel and Syria officially neither confirmed nor denied the meeting between Dermer and al-Shaibani in the French capital.
The reported high-level minister meeting comes after the U.S. announced earlier this month that both Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire after Syrian regime forces and Islamist Bedouin allies attacked the Druze community in the Syrian southern Sweida region. Hundreds of Druze civilians were massacred in the clashes. Israel, which has close ties with the Druze community, vowed to protect them and responded by striking Syrian regime forces.
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