UAE Is Mediating Covert Discussions Between Israel and Syria, Sources Say

According to sources, the United Arab Emirates is covertly assisting Israel and Syria in their efforts to reduce tensions in the region.

According to three people acquainted with the situation, the United Arab Emirates has allegedly set up a secret communication channel to help Israel and Syria negotiate. 

This comes as Syria’s new administration looks for regional assistance to handle a strained relationship with its neighbor to the south.

According to people with direct knowledge, such as a regional intelligence officer and a Syrian security official, the undisclosed talks are focused on security concerns, intelligence sharing, and attempts to foster trust between the two countries, which do not have formal diplomatic ties, Reuters reported.

The plan started soon after Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa’s visit to the United Arab Emirates on April 13, according to one source. Although the focus of the discussions may eventually expand, they are reportedly currently focused on “technical matters.”

At a press appearance in Paris, President Sharaa made the first public acknowledgement of the indirect negotiations. “Indirect negotiations are being held through mediators to defuse the situation,” he stated. “We speak with every state that communicates with the Israeli side to put pressure on them to cease meddling in Syria’s internal affairs, violating its airspace, and attacking some of its installations.”

However, Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s Foreign Minister’s Envoy and Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, denied it was involved. The assertion that the United Arab Emirates is “mediating secret talks” between Israel and Syria is blatantly untrue. “The UAE is not involved in any such discussions,” she told Reuters.

A senior Syrian security source, however, denied this, saying the UAE-based channel is solely focused on security matters, especially counterterrorism-related ones. The talks are said to have omitted topics related to Israeli military actions in Syria.

The system includes former Israeli intelligence operatives, as well as security personnel from the United Arab Emirates and Syria, according to another intelligence source. Owing to the delicate nature of the subject, all of the sources agreed to speak anonymously.

A request for reply from the Israeli prime minister’s office was not answered, nor did the Syrian presidency.

The alleged attempts at mediation came before a string of Israeli bombings in Syria last week, one of which was within 500 meters of Damascus’ presidential palace. It’s still unknown if the channel has been used since those assaults.