Not trusting Israel currently, thankful for Turkish support: Syria FM

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has expressed gratitude to Türkiye for its assistance in rebuilding Syria’s armed forces, affirming that Damascus will not abandon Ankara’s support while anticipating that recently severed security talks with Israel could soon resume.

Addressing foreign policy priorities and regional security dynamics, al-Shaibani highlighted Syria’s expanding military cooperation and training initiatives with regional partners, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, with a particular emphasis on contributions from Türkiye.

“Syria is grateful to Türkiye for its support in rebuilding its army, and we will not give up this support,” al-Shaibani said.

In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Damascus’ top diplomat also addressed recent Israel’s airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur air base, rejecting Israeli claims that Damascus intended to permit Turkish forces to deploy at the site.

He noted that both Syrian and Turkish officials had explicitly denied the assertion prior to the attack. Despite those assurances being conveyed to Israeli officials, Israel proceeded with the strike, resulting in a temporary breakdown of both direct and indirect contacts between Damascus and Israel.

While acknowledging that the Syrian government currently lacks trust in Israel, al-Shaibani emphasized that Damascus prioritizes an immediate end to Israeli military strikes and airspace violations, maintaining that diplomatic avenues remain open.

“We expect negotiations on a security agreement with Israel to resume soon,” he said. “Syria is extending a hand in favor of diplomacy, and Israel should take advantage of this historic opportunity. Israel tried to achieve its security through brute force, but it failed to accomplish that anywhere.”

Washington has been seeking to forge a security deal between Israel and the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a new U.S. ally in ⁠the Middle East, for over a year.

However, it has proven elusive as Israel has sent troops into Syrian territory and attacked government assets, citing threats to its security.

Al-Shaibani said negotiations over the security agreement had been frozen since the start of the Iran war. Contact between Syria and Israel was cut after the airbase strike, he said.

“We believe there should be contact, especially with a party that constantly threatens the security of Syria. But if this contact doesn’t bring results, then we don’t need it,” al-Shaibani said. “We do not trust Israel currently.”

The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

US pressure

Al-Sharaa has said Syria poses no threat to other countries, with Damascus focused on rebuilding from 14 years of war.

Israeli officials have talked about a range of potential dangers in Syria since Bashar Assad was toppled, even as al-Sharaa forged close U.S. ties.

In the days after Assad fell in 2024, Israel ⁠seized ⁠territory in southwest Syria, citing the need to safeguard its citizens against attack and bombed scores of Syrian military sites.

“Israel has tried to maintain its security through brute force and it hasn’t succeeded” anywhere, al-Shaibani said. “I believe negotiations will resume soon.”

No date has been set.

“The U.S. is trying continuously to put pressure on Israel to return to the dialogue table,” he added.

A satellite image shows craters on the runways of Abu al-Duhur airbase near Syria's Aleppo after an Israeli attack, Aug. 19, 2026. (Reuters Photo) — A satellite image shows craters on the runways of Abu al-Duhur airbase near Syria’s Aleppo after an Israeli attack, Aug. 19, 2026. (Reuters Photo)

Asked how optimistic he was, al-Shaibani said: “It’s very hard to bet on Israel.” But Syria had “very great hope” of building stable relationships with its neighbors.

He said that around the beginning of the year, the sides had “agreed on paper to almost everything” regarding a security deal that would require Israel to stop attacking Syria and was tied to its withdrawal from territory seized after Assad fell.

The deal would include several security zones in Syrian territory near the Israeli border, including a buffer zone where only the United Nations would be present, and others where Syrian forces would deploy in varying degrees of force.

But he said Israel had sought to evade implementation, adding: “We did not see they had the real will to reach an agreement.”

Golan heights

Syria and Israel have technically been in a ⁠state of war since ‌1948. Israel seized ‌the Golan Heights from Syria in a 1967 war.

The priority now is to “stop Israeli aggression even before reaching ⁠a security agreement,” al-Shaibani said. “Then perhaps we can open the topics of peace and the ‌Golan.”

U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said Tuesday that Washington was working to establish a mechanism to prevent conflict among Israel, Türkiye and Syria.

Al-Shaibani said there was no agreement yet on the mechanism, which he said must stop ⁠attacks and pave the way for the security deal rather than “entrenching … Israeli occupation.”

DAILYSABAH