UAE mediates secret Israel-STG backchannel, sources say

DARAMSUQ / ABU DHABI / TEL AVIV — The United Arab Emirates has quietly established a backchannel to facilitate indirect talks between Israel and the Syrian Transitional Government (STG), multiple sources told Reuters. These contacts reportedly began just days after Syrian Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Abu Dhabi on 13 April. According to a source with direct knowledge, the discussions are “focused on technical matters” and currently narrow in scope, though there is “no limit to what may eventually be discussed”.

A senior Syrian security official said the UAE-facilitated channel is “limited strictly to security-related issues, focusing on several counterterrorism files,” and specifically excludes “purely military matters, particularly those concerning Israeli army activities in Syria.” A regional intelligence officer confirmed that participants have included “UAE security officials, Syrian intelligence officials, and former Israeli intelligence officials”. In other words, the secret talks appear aimed at de-conflicting security threats and sharing intelligence, rather than negotiating territorial or political questions at this stage.

Al-Sharaa publicly acknowledged that “there are indirect negotiations taking place via mediators to calm the situation.” Speaking at a press conference, he blamed Israel for “random interventions” in Syrian airspace and said Syria was urging any state in contact with Israel to pressure it “to stop interfering in Syria’s affairs and violating its airspace.” Sharaa’s comments marked his first admission of such talks. The UAE, by contrast, has flatly denied involvement. Assistant Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh told Reuters the claims were “categorically false” and that Abu Dhabi is “not part of any such talks.”

These talks come in the context of Syria’s dramatic political upheaval. In December 2024, Islamist rebels from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Daramsuq (Damascus) and toppled President Bashar al-Assad. HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Golani) has since installed a transitional government in Daramsuq (Damascus), appointing an HTS-affiliated prime minister and swiftly deploying administrators in government offices. The new rulers have sought to reassure Israel and neighboring states of their intentions.

Syrian officials publicly condemned recent Israeli air strikes as “escalatory” foreign interference and stressed that the country was focused on rebuilding unity after 14 years of war. They even detained two senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad members and told the US they “will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel.”

Nonetheless, Israel remains deeply wary of Syria’s HTS-led government. US and Israeli sources report that Israel has urged Washington to support a weak, decentralized Syria under the new Islamist rulers, fearing that Turkey-aligned HTS may harbor militants. Analyst Aron Lund told Reuters that “Israel’s big fear is that Turkey comes in and protects this new Syrian Islamist order, which then ends up being a base for Hamas and other militants.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared he will “not tolerate the presence in southern Syria of HTS, or any other forces affiliated with the new rulers,” and he has demanded that Syria’s border be demilitarized. Israel has already resumed air strikes on Syrian military sites and reoccupied a UN-monitored buffer zone in the Golan Heights following Assad’s ouster.

Past Israel-Syrian Diplomacy

The UAE-mediated contacts revived a dialogue long interrupted by conflict. Israel and Syria have technically been at war since Israel’s founding in 1948, with the Golan Heights changing hands in the 1967 and 1973 wars. A 1974 disengagement agreement ended hostilities along the Golan Heights without a peace treaty. In the 1990s, under Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, the two countries held some of their highest-level talks ever. In December 1999, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa. That effort collapsed in January 2000 over a small, disputed tract along the Golan border.

In the mid-2000s further progress was attempted. In June 2007 Israel’s Ehud Olmert said he would trade Golan land for peace if Syria cut ties to Iran and militant groups. Israeli strikes, including an alleged nuclear site hit in 2007, and Syria’s support for Hezbollah made talks difficult. By May 2008 Olmert had opened indirect, Turkish-mediated negotiations with President Bashar al-Assad. Olmert flew to Turkey to discuss them, saying “a peace deal with Syria is achievable”. However, Olmert resigned later in 2008 amid a corruption scandal, and those talks quickly fizzled. No further diplomacy occurred as Syria descended into civil war from 2011 onward. For over a decade Israel focused on stopping Iranian and Hezbollah forces from establishing bases in Syria, often striking targets unilaterally.

Prospects and Regional Dynamics

Analysts caution that the new backchannel remains tentative. The UAE’s public denial of any role suggests the effort is unofficial and sensitive. And Israel’s explicit mistrust of the HTS-led government — which it views as an Islamist threat on its border — raises doubts about what can be achieved. As one Reuters summary noted, ties between the neighbors have grown “increasingly hostile,” and Jerusalem says it “won’t tolerate Islamist presence in [the] border zone.” Moreover, Israel is heavily engaged in the Gaza war, adding complexity to any northern-front strategy.

At the same time, the STG has strong incentives to de-escalate. It depends heavily on ties to Turkey and other Arab states, and Syria’s economy remains devastated by war and sanctions. A quiet dialogue with Israel, even limited to technical security issues, could reduce the risk of inadvertent clashes and signal to Gulf states that Damascus can be a constructive regional player. Abu Dhabi’s interest in mediating may stem from its normalization with Israel in 2020, which positioned it as a bridge between Israel and states like Syria that lack formal ties. As one observer put it, the UAE’s unique regional role “has positioned it as a potential mediator” for such talks.

Any breakthrough, however, would require Israel to accept at least some dialogue with Syria’s new rulers and Syria to tolerate Israeli security needs — a tall order given their history. For now, the reported UAE-facilitated channel represents an unprecedented opening.