Syria pursues diplomacy with Israel amid continued attacks on Syrian soil
Syria's new government is pursuing diplomatic engagement with Israel while Israeli attacks on Syrian territory continue, according to a current analysis of the post-Assad security landscape. The report says Damascus is trying to avoid military confrontation and instead keep open a political track with its neighbour. It also says Israel has continued to strike Syrian soil and to maintain a military presence in the south.
Sponsored
The analysis says Syria has chosen this approach since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024. It says officials in Damascus have committed themselves to avoiding conflict with neighbouring states as they try to rebuild after more than a decade of war. Rob Geist Pinfold, a security studies lecturer at King's College London, said Syria's government is "intensely pragmatic" and willing to "sit down and talk to and do deals" if that serves the country's national interest.
The report says Israel responded immediately after rebels led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa took Damascus by attacking Syrian military infrastructure across the country. It adds that Israeli troops moved further into parts of southern Syria beyond the occupied Golan Heights. Almost two years later, the report says, Israeli troops are still setting up checkpoints and detaining Syrian citizens in those areas.
The analysis also says Israel warned Syria not to deploy troops in the south and bombed the Syrian Ministry of Defence in Damascus in July 2025. The issue matters because it places Syria's new leadership in a narrow diplomatic space at a time when the country is still recovering from war and political upheaval. The report describes Damascus as seeing diplomacy as its only viable option for now, despite repeated Israeli attacks.
Sponsored
That makes the relationship a test of whether Syria can secure any form of stability without provoking a wider confrontation. It also shows how the post-Assad government is trying to redefine Syria's foreign policy after years of alignment with Iran-backed regional networks. Under Assad, Syria was part of the Iran-led "axis of resistance" and its territory was used to move weapons and financial support to Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to the analysis.
The report says the Syrian military has not fought Israel directly since the 1974 disengagement agreement signed under Hafez al-Assad. That long-standing restraint is now being carried into a new political context, with the current government publicly saying it has no intention of attacking Israel and wants peace with all neighbours. The contrast between that position and the continued Israeli military pressure is central to the current standoff.
The article also places the dispute in the wider context of Syria's post-war reconstruction. After more than a decade of conflict, the new authorities are trying to rebuild state institutions while managing external threats and territorial losses. The south remains especially sensitive because of Israel's continued presence beyond the Golan Heights and the reported harassment and arrests of Syrian citizens there.
Those conditions limit Damascus's room for manoeuvre and make any diplomatic opening fragile. What remains unclear is whether the current diplomatic track can produce any practical restraint on Israeli operations or lead to a more durable understanding. The report does not say whether direct talks are under way or whether any formal negotiations are planned.
Sponsored
It also leaves open how Syria will respond if attacks continue or if pressure increases in the south. For now, the main question is whether Damascus can keep pursuing talks while avoiding a military escalation it says it does not want.
Sponsored
