Syria's al-Qaeda-Linked Rulers, Israel Hold US-brokered Talk

According to a report by Syria’s news agency SANA on Tuesday, the discussions between Assad Hassan al-Shaibani and the Israeli delegation were centered on de-escalation and enforce a ceasefire in the Druze-majority Sweida province in southern Syria.

Sweida has seen intense fighting and significant casualties in recent months, with Israel bombing military headquarters in Damascus under the pretext of supporting the Druze minority.

Tuesday’s meeting was a continuation of previous discussions, including one held between al-Shaibani and the Israeli minister of strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, in Azerbaijan in late July, and another meeting in Paris before that.

Israel has conducted repeated acts of aggression across the Syrian territory following the collapse of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government last year. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize several strategic locations.

On Monday, a group of Israeli settlers—including young children— illegally crossed into Syrian territory in a blatant act of aggression, attempting to establish a new settlement in land currently occupied by Israeli forces.

The incursion took place near the border town of Alonei Habashan, deepening Israel’s ongoing occupation of southern Syria following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024.

They withdrew only after staging a cornerstone ceremony and planting a settlement sign naming the outpost “Nave Habashan”, highlighting Israel’s escalating ambitions to extend its occupation deeper into Syria.

Since Assad’s ouster, the regime in Damascus has been effectively controlled by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani—a notorious Takfiri militant with clear affiliations to terrorist groups such as Daesh and al-Qaeda.

Rather than resisting the ongoing Israeli invasion, HTS’s inaction and normalization overtures toward Tel Aviv have emboldened Israeli forces to intensify their occupation and bombardment campaigns.

Israeli forces have deployed to at least nine posts deep inside southern Syria, mostly within the UN-monitored buffer zone, citing the need to counter Takfiri threats. However, this deployment serves as cover for a broader strategy of territorial expansion through both military aggression and settler incursions.

The Israeli regime has also escalated its relentless bombardment of Syria’s military and civilian infrastructure, further destabilizing the region and exacerbating humanitarian suffering. These attacks have systematically weakened Syria’s ability to resist occupation and defend its sovereignty.