A senior Syrian security official has dismissed recent media claims that he held direct discussions with Israeli representatives to address regional security concerns. Brigadier General Ahmed al-Dalati, commander of internal security forces in Syria’s southern province of al-Suwayda, issued a categorical denial of his involvement in any negotiations with Israel.
“I categorically deny the information regarding my participation in any direct talks with the Israeli side and affirm that these allegations are baseless and false,” al-Dalati said in a statement broadcast by Syrian state TV channel Al-Ikhbaria.
The general reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to defending its sovereignty and national integrity. “The leadership continues to take all necessary legal measures to protect the Syrian people and the territorial integrity of the republic,” he added.
Al-Dalati’s remarks came in response to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources who claimed that Syrian and Israeli officials had held multiple undisclosed meetings in recent weeks without third-party mediation. According to the report, the talks focused on security de-escalation in border areas. The sources said the meetings were led on the Syrian side by al-Dalati and reportedly took place in border zones, including areas under Israeli control.
Following a change in government in Syria in December 2024, Israel resumed strikes on Syrian military targets. That same month, the Israeli military bolstered its presence in the Golan Heights—territory seized from Syria in 1967 and illegally annexed in 1981, according to a UN Security Council resolution. Israeli forces also entered a UN-monitored buffer zone established in 1974, which had separated Syrian and Israeli positions for decades.
Israel has since declared plans to establish a 15-kilometer “security zone” inside Syrian territory and a broader 50-kilometer “zone of influence” aimed at demilitarizing southern Syria.
Tensions have further escalated in recent weeks. In late April, clashes broke out in predominantly Druze suburbs of Damascus, where armed groups stormed the town of Sahnaya. Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple locations near the capital, as well as in the provinces of Daraa, Latakia, and Hama.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned ongoing Israeli interference in Syria’s internal affairs and reiterated calls for international accountability.
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Based on materials from TASS