Damascus and Tel Aviv hold direct talks on security arrangements.

Israel and Syria are holding direct talks focusing on "limited security arrangements" and the potential withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territory in southern Syria after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Syrian sources told the German Press Agency (dpa).

According to sources close to the current Syrian leadership, President Ahmad al-Sharaa is not prepared to sign any broader peace agreement with Israel at this time.

The talks, which were reportedly held in Jordan, were attended by high-ranking Syrian officials, including the defense minister.

Sharaa demands a complete Israeli withdrawal from the areas it seized after Assad's fall and strongly opposes any expansion of the buffer zone in southern Syria, according to the sources.

At a recent press conference in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Sharaa acknowledged that indirect talks are underway with Israel through mediators, with the aim of "calming the situation and preventing a loss of control."

Despite these developments, the prospects for real progress remain uncertain.

It is noteworthy that Israel and Syria have been in a formal state of war since 1948. The Golan Heights, which Israel occupied in 1967 and annexed in 1981, is a major point of contention.

Israel has deployed additional forces to the region following the ouster of Syria's longtime ruler, Bashar al-Assad, and continues to carry out airstrikes in Syria.

Israeli media reported that this could be a first step towards a "military security agreement."

N24 News reported that this includes, among other things, a commitment to comply with the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, in a press conference with his Austrian counterpart, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, affirmed Israel's interest in normalizing relations with Syria and Lebanon.