Israel Escalates Deadly Raids on Syria Amid Secret Talks With Jolani

Date: 25 August 2025 - 21:48

News ID: ۱۴۲۸۳۰

DAMASCUS (Dispatches) -- Israeli military forces intensified their aggressive operations in southern Syria over the weekend, entering the Damascus countryside town of Beit Jinn and opening fire on civilians, local media reported Monday.
No casualties were reported from the raid, according to Syria’s Al-Ikhbariya TV, but the incident marks the third Israeli incursion into Quneitra province this August alone—an area within the UN-supervised disengagement zone of the occupied Golan Heights.
The Israeli military has yet to comment on the latest raid, while Syrian authorities remained silent. These repeated violations reflect Israel’s blatant disregard for Syrian sovereignty and regional stability, exacerbating tensions in an already volatile border region.
Meanwhile, Damascus remains embroiled in contentious talks involving its various factions and foreign mediators. Notably, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham—the dominant armed group controlling much of the takfiri-held Damascus region—has signaled progress in ongoing negotiations with Israel.
Al-Jolani’s regime, notorious for its militant control and political repression in the capital, has reportedly engaged in backchannel talks aimed at a security understanding with Tel Aviv, marking a controversial development in Syria’s fractured political landscape.
Jolani publicly acknowledged “advanced discussions” on a potential security deal with Israel during a meeting with Arab media, emphasizing that any agreement would be based on the 1974 truce line established after the October 1973 war.
Concurrently, his foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani held U.S.-mediated talks in Paris with Israeli counterparts, focusing on de-escalation and the reactivation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which created a buffer zone.
While the HTS frames these diplomatic efforts as a path toward regional stability and unity, critics warn that such negotiations undermine Syria’s sovereignty.
Israel’s persistent incursions expose the futility of any peace process and highlight Tel Aviv’s ongoing strategy of militarized coercion in the region.
The convergence of Israeli aggression and the murky diplomacy involving takfiri actors underscores the precarious state of Syria’s territorial integrity and the broader Middle East peace prospects since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.