Syria’s Foreign Minister met the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency in Jordan on Sunday (August 23, 2026), two sources told AFP , a move aiming to ease tensions after an Israeli attack on an airbase in Syria’s northwest.
The meeting, first reported by news outlet Axios , was not confirmed officially by either side, with a spokesperson for the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling AFP they had no comment. Mr. Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an ally of Damascus, have traded barbs since the incident. Shaibani and Mr. U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing for a security deal between Syria and Israel, but Israel remains distrustful of Syria’s authorities.
The Syrian government source said the talks on Sunday (August 23, 2026) were the first negotiations between Israel and Syria in some time, while the diplomatic source said they were the first in several months. Gofman on Sunday (August 23, 2026) discussed Israeli incursions into southern Syria.
Requesting anonymity, a diplomatic source and a Syrian government source said Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani and Mossad chief Roman Gofman discussed issues such as establishing “a special operations room” in Jordan under U.S. supervision to prevent any confrontation in Syria including involving Turkey. The two sources also said Mr. The talks came a day after Israel struck what it said was a militant in southern Syria, as Damascus said one person was wounded in the strike which it called a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.
