Overview
- Following Paris meetings, a joint statement announced a dedicated communication cell to coordinate intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and potential commercial activity under U.S. supervision.
- Officials agreed to increase the frequency of meetings and to pursue confidence-building steps as part of an accelerated push toward a security arrangement.
- The latest round was mediated by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack with presidential advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner present, while Syria’s team was led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani alongside intelligence chief Hussein Salameh.
- Israel’s delegation was headed by Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and included military secretary Roman Gofman and acting national security adviser Gil Reich in the fifth round of talks.
- Significant gaps persist, with Syria pressing for a return to pre–December 8, 2024 lines tied to the 1974 disengagement framework and Israel seeking demilitarization of southern Syria, while a U.S.-floated economic zone remains a proposal without firm commitments.