Everything you need to know about the Syria – Israel deal in Paris

Syria and Israel person agreed to acceptable up a associated mechanics aft US-mediated talks successful Paris connected Tuesday, successful what they are calling a “dedicated connection cell” aimed astatine sharing quality and coordinating subject de-escalation.

The 2 countries person had a US-backed information statement successful spot since 1974. However, erstwhile the Assad authorities fell connected December 8, 2024, Israel began attacking Syrian subject infrastructure and pushed their troops into the demilitarised portion that is Syrian territory.

Syria and Israel person been engaging successful intermittent negotiations implicit the past twelvemonth to find a information statement that would halt Israel’s repetition aggression against Syrians and Syrian territory.

Here’s everything you request to cognize astir these talks.

What is the mechanism?

“The mechanics volition service arsenic a level to code immoderate disputes promptly and enactment to forestall misunderstandings,” a associated connection released by the 2 countries said aft the statement connected Tuesday.

The thought is to person a assemblage that volition woody with grievances and resoluteness disputes betwixt Israel and Syria, ideally successful a mode that brings Israeli attacks connected Syrian onshore and radical to an end. Both sides whitethorn besides anticipation it tin pave the mode to a renewed information agreement.

What does Syria want?

A authorities root told authorities media SANA, that the absorption for Syria is to reactivate “the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, with the purpose of ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the lines successful spot anterior to Dec. 8, 2024 wrong a reciprocal information statement that prioritizes afloat Syrian sovereignty and guarantees the prevention of immoderate signifier of interference successful Syria’s interior affairs.”

The Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, volition privation Israel to respect Syrian sovereignty by pulling backmost its forces and stopping attacks but besides to halt meddling successful home affairs.

The Washington Post reported that Israel has supported figures opposed to Syria’s caller government, including Suwayda’s Hikmat al Hijri. Israel has antecedently said they privation to support Syria’s number Druze community.

What does Israel want?

Three things mainly, according to Al Jazeera’s elder analogous Resul Serdar.

“For Israel, it’s astir much land, patronage of minorities, and agelong word leverage,” helium said.

Israel has tried to overgarment the caller authorities successful Syria arsenic extremist and a menace to its security. It has called for the country southbound of Damascus to beryllium demilitarised, portion besides trying to physique relations with Syrian minorities, peculiarly the Druze successful Suwayda.

Analysts judge this could beryllium portion of a strategy by Israel to support its neighbours weak.

Israel has travel to the array astatine slightest partially owed to US leverage and influence. US President Donald Trump and his Special Envoy Tom Barrack person some built lukewarm relations with al-Sharaa.

But Israel whitethorn besides privation to antagonistic Turkish influence successful Syria. Israel has previously accused Turkiye of turning Syria into its protectorate.

What does the US want?

“For Washington the precedence is containment,” Serdar said.

The US besides sees Damascus arsenic a important spouse successful the fight against ISIL. Stability successful Syria, peculiarly nether a cardinal authorities successful Damascus, could mean pulling US troops retired of eastbound Syria.

But the US besides wants a beardown Syria to debar the instrumentality of Iranian power successful the state and to debar immoderate wider determination violence.

For his part, Trump is anxious to grow the Abraham Accords that sees Arab and Muslim countries motion normalisation agreements with Israel and has said helium hopes Syria volition bash so. Syria, however, has said they bash not mean to motion the Abraham Accords.

Will the mechanics work?

There are doubts.

A Syrian authoritative told Reuters quality bureau that his state isn’t consenting to determination guardant connected “strategic files” without an enforced timeline implicit Israel’s withdrawal from Syrian territory taken aft December 2024.

In summation to moving into Syrian territory, Israel has conducted galore attacks connected Damascus, including connected the Syrian Ministry of Defense building.

A akin mechanics betwixt Israel and Lebanon was created aft the November 2024 ceasefire there, with France and the United States progressive to enforce the deal. However, the mechanics has not stopped near-daily attacks by Israel connected Lebanese territory, nor has it led to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from 5 occupied points successful Lebanon.

For the mechanics to work, the United States volition person to bash thing it has seldom done successful caller years: clasp Israel accountable.

What astir the Golan Heights?

Israel has illegally occupied areas of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967.

Israeli officials person indicated they are not consenting to instrumentality the Golan Heights to the caller Syrian government.

After the autumn of the Assad regime, Israel expanded into Syrian territory and seized the strategical outlook of Jabal al-Sheikh, a upland that lies betwixt Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

For now, Syria appears to beryllium focused connected getting Israel retired of the areas it occupied since December 2024.