Israel and Syria holding ‘advanced talks’ on bilateral security deal — senior official

Israel and Syria are holding “advanced talks” on a bilateral agreement, a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

The contacts are focused on coordination around security matters, says the official, who would not speculate on when a full normalization deal between the two enemy states could turn into reality.

“Could it develop into something beyond [security arrangements]?” the official asks. “We will wait and see. For now there isn’t anything concrete.”

“There is absolutely an aspiration to expand the Abraham Accords, and it’s no secret that we want to see Syria in this,” the official continues. “And there may be an opportunity.”

However, says the official, even if Syria and Israel reach a deal, “we will not withdraw from the Syrian Hermon, nor from the Golan Heights.”

The officials say that interim Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa “seems that he is on the right path to try to establish some kind of government that benefits from the economy and investments, but you never know. We are very careful, very careful.”