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(//rumcdn.geoedge.be/f7ae3efe-f9e8-44be-8cf9-3b564afd5f4b/grumi-ip.js) (https://widgets.outbrain.com/outbrain.js) (https://btloader.com/tag?o=5119785225420800&upapi=true) (https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-T4BJGTM) (/manifest.json) (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-16.png) (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-32.png) (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-192.png) (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-180.png) (https://fonts.gstatic.com) (https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js) Mossad chief, Syria FM hold positive de-escalation talks after Israeli strike | The Jerusalem Post (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-906345) (/_next/static/media/330873b68d2be3b0-s.p.woff2) (/_next/static/media/c12d87a8caf45179-s.p.woff2) (/_next/static/media/e4af272ccee01ff0-s.p.woff2) (/_next/static/media/e4e266444aa20670-s.p.woff2) (/_next/static/media/e807dee2426166ad-s.p.woff2)      (Jerusalem Post) (/) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News)   (CONFERENCES) (/conferences) CONFERENCES  (ISRAEL NEWS) (/israel-news) ISRAEL NEWS  (WORLD NEWS) (/international) WORLD NEWS  (MIDDLE EAST) (/middle-east) MIDDLE EAST  (BUSINESS & INNOVATION) (/business-and-innovation) BUSINESS & INNOVATION  (DEFENSE & TECH) (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (OPINION) (/opinion) OPINION  (JP STORE) (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE   (/PayWalllogin) Login    (Search) ()          (/PayWalllogin) Login (https://payments.jpost.com/paywall/paywallpersonaldetails) Subscribe    (/magazineprint/digitallibrary) JPOST DIGITAL LIBRARY  (/) HOME PAGE  (/jerusalem-report) THE JERUSALEM REPORT  (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (/tags/education) JPOST HIGHER EDUCATION  (/opinion) OPINION  BUSINESS & INNOVATION      (https://realestate.jpost.com/) REAL ESTATE LISTINGS  (/aliyah) ALIYAH  (/conferences) JERUSALEM POST CONFERENCE  PREMIUM      (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE  Categories  ISRAEL NEWS      WORLD NEWS      MIDDLE EAST      (/american-politics) US POLITICS  DIASPORA      (/opinion) OPINION  PODCAST      JUDAISM      (/kabbalah) KABBALAH  CHRISTIAN WORLD      HEALTH & WELLNESS      (/science) SCIENCE  (/law) LAW  ARCHAEOLOGY      (/omg) OMG  (/environment-and-climate-change) ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE  (/food-recipes) FOOD & RECIPES  (/history) HISTORY   (/special-content) SPONSORED CONTENT  (/advertise) ADVERTISE WITH US  (/landedpages/termsofservice.aspx) TERMS OF USE  (/landedpages/privacypolicy.aspx) PRIVACY POLICY  (/contactus) CONTACT US  (/customer-service/cancel-subscription) CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION  (/customer-service) CUSTOMER SERVICE  (/landedpages/aboutus.aspx) ABOUT US       (/) Jerusalem Post /  (/middle-east) Middle East   Mossad chief, Syria FM hold positive de-escalation talks after Israeli airbase strike, source says Meeting comes after Shaibani told Reuters Israel has 'historic opportunity' for diplomacy • IDF struck Syrian airbase last week intended to prevent Turkish military presence, sources told the Post  (Share)         (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.jpost.com/)      Follow us on Google     ((L-R): Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani; Mossad Director Roman Gofman) ((L-R): Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani; Mossad Director Roman Gofman)  (L-R): Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani; Mossad Director Roman Gofman (photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90, REUTERS/YVES HERMAN )    By (/author/amichai-stein) AMICHAI STEIN ,  (/author/idan-kweller) IDAN KWELLER ,  (/author/jerusalem-post-staff) JERUSALEM POST STAFF    AUGUST 23, 2026 18:43  Updated:  AUGUST 24, 2026 00:04   A meeting held on Sunday between Israeli and Syrian officials “went well” amid ongoing efforts to lower(https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-906261) tensions between the two countries , a source familiar with the meeting told The Jerusalem Post .  Those in attendance included Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, as well as the heads of the country's General and Military intelligence services, according to N12 News.   Shaibani said the meeting dealt with halting Israeli attacks and renewing negotiations for a security agreement between the countries, N12 also reported.  He added that the Syrian side emphasized the need to reduce tensions between Israel and Turkey, N12 reported, saying that Syria fears tensions between the two countries will continue to spill over into Syrian territory.  The Syrian delegation stressed its opposition to an agreement which would prohibit it from building up its military and forging alliances, the report said, adding that the Syrians wanted discussions regarding the Golan Heights to be conducted separately and that the focus of the current talks should remain on the subject of Israel's withdrawal to pre-2024 lines.   The meeting came after comments from (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-906294) Shaibani to Reuters  on Saturday, in which he urged Israel to seize a “historic opportunity” for diplomacy.  (View of the Israeli border with Syria, in the Golan Heights, on August 20, 2026.) View of the Israeli border with Syria, in the Golan Heights, on August 20, 2026. (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)    “We believe there should be contact, especially with a party that constantly threatens the security of Syria. But if this contact doesn’t bring results, then we don’t need it,” he said. “We do not trust Israel currently.”  Shaibani’s comments follow Israel’s strike against Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military airfield on Tuesday.   Israel, Syria disagree on threat of Turkish military presence  Two sources told the Post on Saturday that the strike was intended to prevent the placement of a Turkish radar and air defense system.  Shabaini emphasized to Reuters that the Abu al-Duhur was not at risk of becoming a (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-906085) Turkish base and said he believed Israel carried out the strike even after that message was conveyed.   A spokesperson from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, in a (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-906306) statement released on Friday , said Israeli intelligence had identified that Turkish troops were going to be deployed to the base.  The spokesperson claimed that Syria “chose to ignore” warnings from Israel regarding the base prior to the strike.  Corinne Baum, Jerusalem Post Staff, and Reuters contributed to this report.     The Midnight Dispatch The one email that makes sense of the Middle East. Iran, the Gulf, Syria, Turkey, and whatever moved that day, from The Jerusalem Post, every evening.  (Enter your email address) ()  Subscribe       See more on (/tags/israel) Israel |  (/tags/idf) IDF |  (/tags/mossad) Mossad |  (/tags/syria) Syria |  (/tags/turkey) Turkey |  (/tags/israeli-air-strike) Israeli airstrike |  (/tags/middle-east) Middle East |  (/tags/syria-airstrikes) Syria Airstrikes |  (/tags/asaad-al-shaibani) Asaad al-Shaibani |  (/tags/roman-gofman) Roman Gofman    (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.jpost.com/)      Follow us on Google         Related Articles (/middle-east/article-906513) (Palestinian child Omar Halawa, 14, flies a kite above a displacement camp in Gaza City, Gaza on August 23, 2026.) (Palestinian child Omar Halawa, 14, flies a kite above a displacement camp in Gaza City, Gaza on August 23, 2026.) 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