Syria is choosing diplomacy with Israel, but can its approach last?

What the report says

Syria’s post-Assad leadership is pursuing talks and other diplomatic channels with Israel even as Israeli forces continue attacks inside Syria and maintain control over territory in the country’s south, according to Al Jazeera. The article says the new Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, is trying to avoid a renewed military confrontation while it rebuilds state institutions after years of war.

Al Jazeera reports that Israel responded to Assad’s fall in December 2024 with strikes on Syrian military infrastructure and by advancing beyond the occupied Golan Heights. The piece says Israeli forces have continued setting up checkpoints, making arrests and carrying out raids in parts of southern Syria, while also striking targets such as a defense ministry site in Damascus in July 2025 and an airbase near Idlib more recently. Syrian officials have said they do not seek conflict, but they also do not trust Israel and have filed complaints at the United Nations.

The article frames diplomacy as Damascus’s least costly option, given the country’s exhaustion after war and its need to rebuild its army, economy and political order. It also notes that the United States has been involved in indirect efforts, including a recent meeting in Amman between al-Shaibani and Israeli intelligence chief Roman Gofman focused on stopping attacks and exploring a security arrangement.

Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said Syrians generally support avoiding another war, but any lasting deal remains difficult because of Israel’s continued military pressure, the status of the Golan Heights and wider regional tensions.