Syria and Israel Are Finally Talking

Syria and Israel are talking — and this time, it is face to face. The two longtime adversaries, who have had little official contact over the decades, are reportedly engaged in dialogue to calm tensions and prevent conflict.

Syria, under interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, appears eager to project stability and reassure Israel it poses no immediate threat. In December, Sharaa stated that his government, built on the back of an al-Qaeda-linked insurgency, would “seek no conflict, whether with Israel or anyone else, and we will not allow Syria to be used as a base for such hostilities.”

For Israel, the desired outcome is clear: a quiet northern border and a Syrian government that does not harbor or enable hostile actors. These talks may not signal broader normalization, but they do suggest a shift in how both sides are willing to coordinate over security matters.

Three issues almost certainly dominated Israel’s agenda: the status of Palestinian factions operating inside Syria, Israeli fears over expanding Turkish influence — particularly Ankara’s backing of Hamas — and the fate of the Druze minority in southern Syria.

Syria Expelled Pro-Assad Palestinian Terrorists, but Other Palestinian Factions Still Roam Free

Syria has served as a hub for Palestinian militant factions. Following its expulsion from Jordan in 1999, Hamas established its external headquarters in Damascus until fleeing in 2012 amid tensions over the civil war. Since then, several Palestinian groups — most notably Palestinian Islamic Jihad — have aligned with the Assad regime and retained a presence in Syria, coordinating attacks on Israel via Lebanon and occasionally from Syrian soil.

Israel views this as an unresolved threat. While Syria has expelled Palestinian faction leaders — mainly those tied to the Assad-era security apparatus, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command — it has done little to dismantle other militant structures; instead they formed a committee “to monitor the activities of Palestinian factions.”

Israeli Concerns About Turkey’s Deeper Military Role

Another central point of friction is the growing footprint of Turkey in Syria and its long-term alignment with Hamas, which has only become more explicit since the October 7 massacre.

On May 24, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Sharaa and pledged that “bilateral relations and cooperation … will continue to develop in all fields, particularly in energy, defense, and transportation.” Israeli officials are especially concerned about Turkish interest in deploying forces in bases near the border with Israel. Turkey has also floated the idea of a permanent base in Syria under the guise of counter-ISIS efforts.

Fate of Syria’s Druze Hangs in Balance

Israel has publicly pledged to “not allow harm to the Druze community in Syria, out of a deep commitment to our Druze brothers in Israel.” However, in Syria, that message is received with suspicion.

Many in Syria see the pledge as an Israeli attempt to fracture the country along sectarian lines. Public protests among the Druze have included the burning of Israeli flags — showing that not all members of this religious minority welcome Israeli backing. Complicating matters further, some of the Druze factions that Israel has considered aiding are Assad loyalists, most notably in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, where Israel had previously promised to intervene in defense of the Druze.

Israeli officials are beginning to temper expectations. One recently noted that Syria’s Druze “must reach an understanding with the Sharaa administration.”

Washington Should Support the Talks

The United States should welcome and quietly support these talks. However, it must do so with a readiness to apply sanctions pressure on Damascus if it proves recalcitrant. In a gesture of trust, Donald Trump called for an end to U.S. sanctions on Syria despite ongoing ties to terror groups. The White House should snap sanctions back into place if Damascus encourages Ankara to establish military bases, Palestinian terror factions to operate in Syria, or ethnic extremists to assault the Druze.   

Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Middle East affairs, specifically the Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward the region. For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.