Report: Syria-Israel security deal nearly complete after Paris talks

Hotline to be set up to prevent “misunderstandings”; Al Jazeera journalist says Israel dropped autonomy demands for Syria’s Druze.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

A Syrian-Israeli security agreement is reportedly 90% complete following two days of talks in Paris, an Al Jazeera journalist reported Tuesday.

Faisal al-Qassem posted on X that Israel had retreated from one of its key demands, and now seeks only assurances that Druze residents of southern Syria’s Suwayda region will live in security and stability like the rest of the country.

One of the central disputes in the talks has been Israel’s support for Syria’s Druze minority, which has demanded autonomy after hundreds of community members were murdered by regime-backed forces during several rounds of clashes in mid-2025.

Some Druze leaders have even called for annexation to Israel, following Israeli military intervention in July after Israeli Druze — who serve in the IDF and are loyal to the state — urged Jerusalem to help their Syrian counterparts.

Over the past eight months, Israel has also sent substantial humanitarian and medical aid to Suwayda and pressed for the creation of a land corridor to ensure reliable deliveries.

Damascus has consistently rejected the proposal, arguing it would violate Syrian sovereignty.

According to al-Qassem, Druze MK Hamad Amar (Yisrael Beiteinu) sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after learning that the emerging agreement does not include all of the conditions set by Druze representatives ahead of the talks.

In July, Netanyahu called for “protecting the brothers of our brothers, the Druze,” saying it was Israel’s “Rule No. 2.”

“Rule No. 1,” he said at the time, was “demilitarization of the region south of Damascus”, including the Druze Mountain region, to prevent the reestablishment of a hostile military presence near the Golan Heights.

In a joint statement following the U.S.-mediated negotiations, Syria and Israel said they were committed to “striving to achieve sustainable security and stability arrangements” for both countries.

The sides agreed to set up a joint line of communications to “facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and commercial opportunities under the supervision of the United States.”

“This mechanism will serve as a platform to quickly address any disagreements and work to prevent misunderstandings,” the statement said.

Citing an anonymous Syrian source, Reuters reported that the talks had “concluded with an initiative to suspend all Israeli military activities against Syria,” but that Jerusalem had not confirmed agreeing to such a measure.

In its own statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Israel had emphasized “the importance of ensuring the security of its citizens,” the desire to “promote economic cooperation,” and the need to “maintain the security of the Druze minority in Syria.”