Jordan on Monday announced that it had hosted a meeting to discuss de-escalation between Syria and Israel.
According to an official source cited by Jordan News Agency (Petra), the Sunday meeting came in response to a request from Syria following the Israeli bombardment of the Syrian territories last week, which targeted the Abu Al Duhur air base in Idlib, and the rising tensions in southern Syria.
The source emphasized that Jordan condemned the Israeli assaults on Syria as flagrantly breaching international law and amounting to a grave escalation, adding that Jordan fully backs the Syrian government's efforts to protect its security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In addition, the source further stressed the importance of halting the Israeli vicious attacks on Syria immediately, Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Syrian territories and respecting the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria.
On the Syrian side, a diplomatic source at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that a high-level Syrian delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani and comprising the heads of General Intelligence and Military Intelligence, convened Sunday with a high-level Israeli delegation under US mediation and hosted by Jordan.
The meeting was intended to work out de-escalation efforts and support stability in Syria and the region.The source added that the meeting came in the wake of the recent Israeli bombing of the Syrian territories, coupled with the rising tensions in southern Syria.
Additionally, the meeting was laser-focused on setting practical mechanisms to cease the Israeli attacks, as well as detentions, in addition to reviving the path of negotiations with the objective of reaching a security deal as a groundwork for any more thoroughgoing future accord.
The Syrian side reiterated its unwavering position that the occupied Golan is Syrian territory, stressing that discussing that Golan's final status, along with the pathway to that matter, is still premature at the current time, stating that the direct priority includes the pullout of Israeli forces to the lines in place before Dec. 8, 2024, and the reactivation and full implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
The talks centered on the importance of supporting Syria's stability and safeguarding the security of the region, including the ongoing endeavors to bridge the Turkiye-Israel viewpoints and ensure that this existing tension between both countries wouldn't have repercussions on the Syrian territories.
According to the source, the meeting focused on taking practical de-escalation steps concurrently with the exploration of avenues for returning to the negotiation path, with Syria confirming that any security arrangements must respect its sovereignty, territorial integrity and sovereign rights.