Hebrew Media: Israel Asks Syria to Deploy Public Security Instead of Army in the South

Israeli media revealed Tel Aviv's message to the Syrian government, demanding the deployment of Syrian public security forces in the south instead of the army, which Israel opposes its presence in the region.

The official Israeli broadcasting authority "Kan" reported that Israel "continues to object to the deployment of the Syrian army in the south of the country", emphasizing that it requested the presence of security forces affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Interior, "provided that they consist of Druze elements". It added that this measure "would prevent Syrian government security forces from posing what it described as a 'threat to the Druze'".

In a related context, the Hebrew channel mentioned that the Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaaban, contacted months ago the leader of the Druze sect in Israel, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, inviting him to visit Damascus, but Sheikh Tarif "politely declined the invitation", according to the channel.

On the other hand, the French Press Agency reported that a ministerial meeting was scheduled to be held on Thursday in the Azerbaijani capital Baku between the Syrian Foreign Minister and the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, but no official details were announced about its convening.

A diplomatic source was quoted by the agency saying that if the meeting takes place, it will focus on "the security situation, especially in southern Syria", coinciding with al-Shaaban's visit to Moscow on the same day.

It is worth mentioning that a diplomatic source in Damascus had previously informed the French Press that an "unprecedented" meeting brought together the Syrian Foreign Minister with his Israeli counterpart in Paris, while the US envoy to Syria, Tom Barak, confirmed that the two sides discussed during the talks "ways to calm the situation in Syria".