Israeli and Syrian officials discuss coordination between countries at Baku meeting — report

A Syrian and an Israeli official met face to face in Baku today, on the sidelines of a visit to Azerbaijan by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a diplomatic source in Damascus tells AFP.

The meeting marks a major step for the two countries which have been foes for decades, and comes after Israel initially cold-shouldered Sharaa’s administration as jihadist because of his past links to al-Qaeda.

“A meeting took place between a Syrian official and an Israeli official on the sidelines of Sharaa’s visit to Baku,” the source says, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Sharaa himself did not take part in the meeting, which focused on “the recent Israeli military presence in Syria,” the source adds.

Israel’s Kan public broadcaster also reports that Israeli and Syrian officials met today.

It notes that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani will be present at the same European Union conference in Brussels on Monday, but that a meeting between the two has not been scheduled.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.