A fresh US-backed diplomatic push brought senior Syrian and Israeli officials together in Jordan on Sunday, with talks focused on containing a recent surge in tensions and curbing Israeli military activity in Syria, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. The meeting explored "practical mechanisms" to stop Israeli strikes, arrests and targeted operations, while also seeking to revive negotiations on a security agreement that could eventually form the basis of a broader deal, SANA said, citing a diplomatic source at the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

The discussions also addressed tensions between Israel and Turkey, with the two sides looking at ways to prevent their rivalry from further spilling over into Syrian territory. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani noted that talks had been suspended since the start of the regional conflict, while Syria cut off contact entirely after Israeli strikes on Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase last week. Washington has for more than a year sought to broker a security agreement between Israel and the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Shaibani said the two sides had agreed on paper to "almost everything" around the beginning of the year, including arrangements for security zones in southern Syria and a buffer zone where only United Nations forces would be present, but Damascus doubted Israel's willingness to implement the agreement. The Israeli prime minister's office did not reply to a request for comment on Shaibani's remarks.

At Sunday's meeting, SANA said Syria indicated that its immediate priorities remained an Israeli withdrawal to positions held before Bashar al-Assad's overthrow on December 8, 2024, and the full restoration of a 1974 disengagement agreement. Damascus also told the Israeli delegation it would not accept arrangements restricting its right to rebuild and develop its armed forces or determine its alliances and partnerships, SANA reported.

Syria reiterated that the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights were Syrian territory but said discussions over the region's final status were premature, according to the SANA report. Israel has carried out repeated strikes on Syrian military sites since Assad's fall, saying its actions were necessary to protect its security. Syria has denied posing a threat to Israel and has demanded an end to Israeli strikes and incursions. Syria and Israel have technically been at war since 1948. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, a move recognised by the United States but not by most of the international community.