Tom Brack: Paris Meeting Succeeds in Reducing Tension between Syria and Israel

A unprecedented meeting was held in Paris on Thursday bringing together the Syrian Foreign Minister Asad Al-Shibani and the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, in a diplomatic attempt to de-escalate tensions in the region.

American Special Envoy for Syria Tom Brack confirmed that the goal of the meeting was to open channels for dialogue and work on reducing tension between the parties.

Brack tweeted on his official "X" (formerly Twitter) account:

"I met with Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris this evening. Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation, and we achieved that completely. All parties renewed their commitment to continue efforts to reduce tension."

This meeting comes after escalating events in the province of Suwayda in southern Syria in mid-July, where Israel carried out airstrikes near the presidential palace and the Ministry of Defense in Damascus, stating that it aimed to "protect the Druze."

In a related context, US Deputy State Department Spokesperson Tommy Beugot reported that Syria is at a "critical juncture" due to recent developments in Suwayda, noting that American envoy Tom Brack and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio have been in contact with all relevant parties for several days.

On the other hand, the French Foreign Ministry announced that Minister Jean-Noël Baro will hold anticipated meetings with Al-Shibani and Brack in Paris on Friday to discuss the latest developments in the Syrian situation.

Baro will also have a phone call with the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, amid escalating tensions between Damascus and the Kurdish self-administration.

These tensions come against the backdrop of the failure to implement the agreement signed last March between Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shar'a and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, due to fundamental disagreements over Kurdish demands for a decentralized governance system rejected by the Syrian government, which seeks to integrate the self-administration forces into state institutions.