The United Arab Emirates has established a confidential diplomatic channel between Israel and Syria focused on security matters and confidence-building, marking the first significant contact between the longtime enemies since Syria’s government change, as Israeli airstrikes continue and both nations navigate a precarious new relationship in a region facing multiple conflicts.

The United Arab Emirates has initiated secret backchannel talks between Israel and Syria, according to three sources with knowledge of the diplomatic effort. The previously undisclosed negotiations began shortly after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s April 13 visit to Abu Dhabi and focus primarily on security coordination and intelligence sharing between the longtime adversaries, which have no formal diplomatic relations.

When questioned about the talks during a press conference in Paris, President al-Sharaa confirmed indirect negotiations were underway “via mediators to calm the situation,” marking his first public acknowledgment of such diplomatic efforts. “We talk to all states that are in communication with the Israeli side to pressure them to stop interfering in Syria’s affairs and violating its airspace,” he added. The UAE Assistant Foreign Minister, however, called claims of UAE mediation “categorically false,” while Israeli officials declined to comment.

The diplomatic initiative comes amid heightened tensions following recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria, including one that landed just 500 meters from the presidential palace in Damascus. Israel has framed these strikes as warnings to Syria’s new leadership and responses to perceived threats against Syria’s Druze minority, where sectarian violence recently left more than two dozen people dead. Both countries have engaged in other informal mediation efforts in the past week through different channels, according to regional diplomats.

Syria’s new government has made significant efforts to demonstrate it poses no threat to Israel, including meeting with Jewish community representatives and detaining senior members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad who participated in the October 2023 Hamas attack. In a letter to the U.S. State Department last month, Syria’s foreign ministry pledged that “we will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel.” However, Israeli operations in Syria have escalated since rebels ousted former President Bashar al-Assad in December, with Israeli forces conducting airstrikes and limited ground operations in the southwest, citing concerns about Islamist militants establishing a presence along its border.

(CP) DUBAI, UAE – Reported by Yasmin Khalil.