Syria suspends contacts with Israel after IDF strike on airbase

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani confirmed that contacts with Israel were suspended following an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase on August 18.

In an interview with Reuters, he stated that Israel carried out the strike after Damascus indicated that Turkish forces would not be stationed at the base.

“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,” al-Shaibani said, adding that there is currently no trust in Israel in Syria.

The foreign minister recalled that negotiations on a security agreement had effectively been suspended back in March following the outbreak of the conflict with Iran.

By early 2026, the two sides had agreed on paper on almost all the terms, including a halt to strikes on Syria and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. However, according to al-Shaibani, Israel had sought to evade the deal.

“We did not see they had the real will to ​reach an agreement,” the minister said, expressing hope that dialogue would resume soon.

He added that Washington was also trying to persuade Tel Aviv to return to the negotiating table.

By Jeyhun Aghazada