Syrian and Israeli officials set to resume US-mediated talks in Paris

BEIRUT (AP) - Officials from Syria and Israel are set to resume U.S.-mediated talks in Paris in hopes of reaching a security agreement to defuse tensions between the two countries, officials said Monday.

A Syrian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that the delegation on the Syrian side will be headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and the head of the General Intelligence Directorate, Hussein Salameh.

The official said that Syria's main aim in the talks is to reactivate a 1974 disengagement agreement that established a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, which seized control of that buffer zone more than a year ago.

A French diplomat said that Syria-Israel talks would take place on Tuesday in Paris, with the U.S. mediating and said that France's foreign minister was also meeting Monday evening with his Syrian counterpart. The diplomat, who wasn't authorized to give details about the discussions publicly, spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity.

In December 2024, insurgents led by Syria's now interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa ousted the country's longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, in a lightning offensive.

Al-Sharaa said that he has no desire for a conflict with Israel. But Israel was suspicious of the new Islamist-led leadership and quickly moved to take control of the buffer zone. It has launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military facilities and periodic incursions into villages outside the buffer zone, which have sometimes led to violent confrontations with residents.

Israel has said that its presence is temporary to clear out pro-Assad remnants and militants in order to protect Israel from attacks. But it has given no indication its forces would leave anytime soon. Talks between Israel and Syria to reach a security agreement had stalled last year.

In the new round of discussions, the Syrian official said, Damascus will seek "the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the lines prior to Dec. 8, 2024, within the framework of a reciprocal security agreement that prioritizes full Syrian sovereignty and guarantees the prevention of any form of interference in the country's internal affairs."

Israeli officials didn't respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, declined to comment.