Israeli media has reported that secret negotiations are underway between the governments of Syria and Israel concerning the full normalization of relations—marking a potential diplomatic shift between two countries technically still at war.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, a covert meeting recently took place in Azerbaijan involving senior Syrian officials and Israeli representatives. Israel was reportedly represented by Maj. Gen. Oded Basyuk, head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Operations Directorate. Turkish officials were also said to be in attendance.
The talks are believed to have occurred shortly before a high-profile meeting on Wednesday between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia. During that meeting, Trump reportedly encouraged al-Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords—a U.S.-brokered framework initiated during Trump’s first term that enables Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel without requiring progress toward a Palestinian state.
Trump stated following the meeting that al-Sharaa had indicated a willingness to move toward normalization with Israel.
On Tuesday, ahead of the Saudi summit, Trump announced a full lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria—marking a major policy reversal and fueling speculation that diplomatic overtures were in progress. The following day, Syrian Foreign Minister Hassan Al-Shibani met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Turkey. Rubio welcomed “Syria’s call for peace” with Israel and signaled U.S. support for further engagement.
Both al-Sharaa and Al-Shibani have repeatedly stated in recent weeks that Syria seeks peace and does not desire conflict with any state, including Israel.
Nevertheless, significant tensions remain. Israel currently occupies the Golan Heights—a strategic area captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War—as well as territory in southern Syria seized following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December. In the aftermath of Assad’s fall, Israel conducted extensive airstrikes on Syrian territory, targeting air defenses, military installations, and industrial sites.
Most recently, an Israeli airstrike landed near the Presidential Palace in Damascus, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized as a “warning shot” amid renewed unrest involving Syria’s Druze population, which Israel has reportedly supported.
Last week, President al-Sharaa acknowledged the existence of indirect talks with Israel regarding the ongoing conflict in southern Syria.
“There are indirect negotiations [with Israel] via mediators to calm and contain the situation, so matters don’t reach a point where both sides lose control,” al-Sharaa said during a visit to Paris.
Friday’s report of a meeting in Azerbaijan would mark the first confirmed direct encounter between Israel and Syria’s new government, and the first known dialogue explicitly focused on normalization.