Tel Aviv’s security talks with Damascus resume.
Israeli TV channel 12, citing two American officials, reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during his meeting with US special envoy for Syria Tom Barak on Monday that he would soon appoint a new envoy to lead security talks with Damascus, replacing Ron Dermer, the Minister of Strategic Affairs.
Dermer, who resigned on November 11, had held four rounds of talks on a security agreement with Damascus before resigning, but the talks were suspended after he left the government. According to American sources, Barak called for the resumption of talks during a recent meeting with Netanyahu and asked the prime minister who would take responsibility for leading the process on Israel’s behalf.
The Americans had previously said that Dermer, as Israel’s special representative, would continue negotiations outside the structure of the Netanyahu government. Still, a senior American official told the network that Netanyahu had emphasized that Dermer would no longer be responsible for the case, which is why the prime minister intends to appoint someone with a security background to this mission.
These developments come as the aggression of the Zionist occupiers in southern Syria has become a daily occurrence in recent weeks, actions that include field raids, the establishment of checkpoints, and widespread destruction and killing of Syrian civilians.
The US government has also acknowledged that Netanyahu’s recent actions have caused further instability in Syria and have hindered Washington’s efforts to reach a new security agreement between Damascus and Tel Aviv.
Previously, Asaad Al-Shaibani, the Foreign Minister of the Syrian interim government, had announced that Damascus could not continue security talks while Israel had occupied new parts of Syrian territory.