{{pp-extended|small=yes}} {{Expand Hebrew|topic=gov|date=November 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}} {{Infobox bilateral relations|Israel–Syria|Israel|Syria|flagvariant2=revolution}}
'''Israel–Syria relations''' refer to the bilateral ties between the State of Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic. The two countries have been locked in a perpetual war since the establishment of Israel in 1948, with their most significant and direct armed engagements being in the First Arab–Israeli War in 1948–1949, the Third Arab–Israeli War in 1967, and the Fourth Arab–Israeli War in 1973. Additionally, Israeli and Syrian forces also saw relatively extensive combat against each other during the Lebanese Civil War, the 1982 Lebanon War, as well as the War of Attrition. Both states have at times signed and held armistice agreements, although all efforts to achieve complete peace have been without success. Syria has never recognized Israel as a legitimate state and does not accept Israeli passports as legally valid for entry into Syrian territory; Israel likewise regards Syria as a hostile state and generally prohibits its citizens from travelling there, with some exceptions and special accommodations being made by both countries for Druze people residing in Syria and the Golan Heights (regarded by the United Nations as Syrian territory, occupied by Israel since 1967).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Druze in the Golan Heights have long been 'on the fence' between Syria and Israel. Syria's civil war has changed things.|url=https://theworld.org/stories/2017/11/15/druze-golan-heights-have-long-been-fence-between-syria-and-israel-syrias-civil|access-date=2021-07-16|website=The World from PRX|date=15 November 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=For the Druze in the Golan Heights, the Syrian civil war opened a new door to Israel|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-03-15/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/for-the-druze-in-the-golan-heights-the-syrian-civil-war-opened-a-new-door-to-israel/0000017f-f306-d8a1-a5ff-f38ebe910000|access-date=2021-07-16|newspaper=Haaretz|language=en}}</ref> Israel and Syria have never established formal diplomatic relations since the inception of both countries in the mid-20th century.
In line with the lack of diplomatic relations and continuous state of war, there have been virtually no economic or cultural ties between Israel and Syria, and a limited movement of people across the border. Syria continues to be an active participant in the Arab League's boycott of Israel. Both countries do allow a limited trade of items such as locally-grown apples for the Golan Druze villages, which are located on both sides of the UNDOF ceasefire line, and Syria provides 10 percent of the water supply for the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as a part of an agreement that has been ongoing since the 1980s.<ref name=water/> The state of peace at the Israel–Syria ceasefire line (which has served as the international border since the 1967 war) has been strained due to the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011 and ended in 2024.
==History== {{more citations needed section|date=November 2023}}
===1948–1975=== thumb|300px|Ceasefire line
Syria has been an active belligerent, with periodic ceasefires and use of proxies, against Israel ever since May 1948,<ref group=Note name=Note01/> when the Syrian army captured territory from the newly established State of Israel north and south of the Sea of Galilee. Most of this territory was returned to Israel after the signing of the July 1949 Armistice Agreement and declared Demilitarized Zones. However, the exact location of the border between the two states, ownership of portions of territory and the right of Israeli farmers to farm the land in the Demilitarized Zones on the Israeli side of the border remained in dispute and sparked intermittent fighting between Syria and Israel until the 1967 Arab–Israeli War.
Since the 1949 Armistice Agreements, relations between Israel and Syria have been characterized by periods of hostility; ceasefire talks, sometimes through intermediaries; and disengagement agreements, such as the 1974 Israeli–Syrian disengagement agreement. Through the early 1950s the Syrians gradually retook de facto control of some of the territory ostensibly belonging to Israel (along the foot of part of the western escarpment of the Golan Heights north of the Sea of Galilee, along the north-eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee and the low ground below the southern escarpment of the Golan). In addition to the territorial dispute, small-scale fighting was also sparked by a dispute over Israel's right to pump water from the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee (actually a fresh-water lake) for use in agricultural irrigation and drinking.
From 1964 to 1966 the Syrians attempted to dig a canal that would divert the sources of the Jordan River before they entered Israeli territory—thus drying up that portion of the River and dramatically reducing the water-intake of the Sea of Galilee to prevent Israel from using that water. This led to a period of escalated fighting as the Israelis sought to prevent this diversion project which threatened to severely damage their ability to provide fresh-water to their population and agriculture (attempts to negotiate a solution by UN mediators failed). In fact, escalation of incidents between Israel and Syria in late 1966 and spring 1967 was one of the prime causes leading to the crisis that precipitated the Six Day War. [[File:1967 Six Day War - Battle of Golan Heights.svg|thumb|The Battle of Golan Heights during the Six-Day War, 9–10 June 1967]] Prior to the 1967 Six-Day War, intermittent hostilities centered on the demilitarized zones, water issues and shelling and infiltration from the Golan Heights. Since the war, the focus of negotiations has been "land for peace," in particular a demand that Israel return the Golan Heights to Syria along with Syrian recognition of Israel and establishment of peaceful relations with it, as stipulated in UN Security Council Resolution 242, which became the basis for the peace process negotiations begun in Madrid, calls for a just and lasting Middle East peace to include withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories (note: not all territories) occupied in 1967; termination of the state of belligerency; and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of all regional states and of their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries.
As a result of the mediation efforts of then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Syria and Israel concluded a disengagement agreement in May 1974, enabling Syria to recover territory lost in the October war and part of the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967, including Quneitra. The two sides have effectively implemented the agreement, which is monitored by UN forces.
And yet, in the US-brokered Syrian–Israeli talks during the 1990s, Syria demanded that Israeli future withdrawal would be to the "June 4, 1967 Lines", namely west of the former British Mandate border with Syria.<ref>Frederic C. Hof, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090715130353/http://www.usip.org/files/resources/mappingpeace.pdf Mapping Peace between Syria and Israel]", United States Institute of Peace, Washington D.C. 2009</ref> Syria attempted to recover the Golan Heights in the Yom Kippur War, but was unsuccessful, only recovering a small part of it in the 1974 disengagement agreement, while committing to distance its armed forces further eastwards compared with their 1967–1973 positions.
===During Lebanese civil war=== In December 1981, the Israeli Knesset voted to extend Israeli law to the part of the Golan Heights over which Israel retained control. The UN Security Council subsequently passed a resolution calling on Israel to rescind this measure. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon to drive out the PLO. Syria sent ground and air forces to assist the Lebanese, but these were largely routed by the Israelis. Syria continued to support Lebanese militias, leading up to Israel's withdrawal in 2000.
===1990s peace efforts=== The first high-level public talks aimed at a permanent resolution of the conflict between Israel and Syria were held at and after the multilateral Madrid Conference of 1991. Throughout the 1990s several Israeli governments negotiated with Syria's President Hafez al-Assad. While serious progress was made, they were unsuccessful. Negotiations were conducted intermittently through the 1990s, and came very close to succeeding. However, the parties were unable to come to an agreement due to President Bill Clinton's failure to consult with the Syrian President, Hafez al-Assad during the negotiating process, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's backtracking on the issue of the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee and Syria's nonnegotiable demand that Israel withdraw to the positions it held on 4 June 1967 (which meant Israel would relinquish its claim to territory occupied by the Syrians in the early 1950s in contravention to the 1949 Armistice Agreement—including the north-eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee).
A major stumbling-block was that in response to Israel's demand that the entire Golan from the Jordan River to the outskirts of Damascus be demilitarized the Syrians demanded that Israel demilitarize all its territory to a similar distance from the new border. This was not acceptable to Israel as it would have effectively left all of northern Israel between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea (more than a quarter of Israel), including the entire length of Israel's border with Lebanon, completely defenceless.
The peace negotiations collapsed following the outbreak of the second Palestinian (Intifada) uprising in September 2000, though Syria continues to call for a comprehensive settlement based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and the land-for-peace formula adopted at the 1991 Madrid conference.
===During Damascus spring: 2000–2005=== Tensions between Israel and Syria increased as the Intifada dragged on, primarily as a result of Syria's refusal to stop giving sanctuary to Palestinian militant groups conducting operations against Israel. In October 2003, following a suicide bombing carried out by a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Haifa that killed 20 Israeli citizens, Israel Defense Forces attacked a suspected Palestinian militant training camp 15 kilometers north of Damascus. This was the first such Israeli attack deep inside Syrian territory since the 1973 war. Syria announced it would respond diplomatically, and asked the UN Security Council to condemn the Israeli action.
High points of hostility in the 2000s included the Ain es Saheb airstrike (an Israeli Air Force mission against Palestinian militants inside Syria) in 2003 and Operation Orchard (an Israeli air and commando mission against Syria's alleged nuclear program) in 2007.
===Syrian alliance with Iran: 2006–present=== {{Israel and nuclear weapons}} During the 2006 Lebanon War, Syria threatened to enter the war on Hezbollah's side, provided support to Hezbollah, and allowed Iran to ship supplies to Hezbollah through its territory. Later, Turkey organized peace talks between the two countries, but Syria later withdrew in response to the 2008–2009 Gaza War.
The September 2007 Operation Outside the Box attack by the Israeli Air Force destroyed a facility that Israel claimed was a nuclear site in the Deir ez-Zor region.<ref name="ynetnews.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4062001,00.html|title=IAEA: Syria tried to build nuclear reactor|agency=Associated Press|work=Ynet|date=28 April 2011|access-date=6 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Observer">{{cite news|first=Peter |last=Beaumont |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/sep/16/iran.israel |title=Was Israeli raid a dry run for attack on Iran? |newspaper=The Observer/The Guardian |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113182204/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0%2C%2C2170188%2C00.html |archive-date=13 January 2008 |date=16 September 2007 |access-date=16 September 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Stephens |first=Bret |url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB119007716759630639 |title=Osirak II |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=18 September 2007 |access-date=19 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207050310/http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB119007716759630639 |archive-date= 7 February 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2010, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused Israel of avoiding peace, and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem warned that in the event of a future war, Israeli cities would be targeted by Syrian missiles. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded by saying that the Syrian military would be defeated in a war with Israel, and Assad and his family would be forced from power. Lieberman also advised Syria to let go of the demand for the Golan Heights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=167762|title=FM: If Syria provokes Israel, Assad will be out of power|work=The Jerusalem Post – JPost.com|date=7 October 2010 |access-date=17 April 2016}}</ref> For several months in 2010 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel engaged in secret, American-brokered discussions with Syria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/middleeast/secret-israel-syria-peace-talks-involved-golan-heights-exit.html|title=Secret Israel-Syria Peace Talks Involved Golan Heights Exit|date=13 October 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=17 April 2016}}</ref>
===During Syrian civil war: 2011–2024=== {{main|Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents during the Syrian civil war|Israel and the Syrian civil war}} Several incidents have taken place on the Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line during the Syrian Civil War, straining the state of peace between the countries. The incidents are considered a spillover of the Quneitra Governorate clashes since 2012 and later incidents between the Syrian Army and the rebels, ongoing on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan and the Golan Neutral Zone and the Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War. Through the incidents, which began in late 2012, as of mid-2014, one Israeli civilian was killed and at least 4 soldiers wounded; on the Syrian-controlled side, it is estimated that at least ten soldiers were killed, as well as two unidentified militants, who attempted to penetrate into Israeli-occupied side of the Golan Heights.<ref name="timesofisrael.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/iaf-fires-on-infiltrators-from-syria-killing-two/|title=Israel kills two Syrian gunmen on Golan border|work=The Times of Israel|date=28 March 2014 |access-date=30 October 2014}}</ref>
On 11 May 2018, Israel urged Syria to reduce the level of Iranian military presence in the country, with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman stating: "Throw the Iranians, Qasem Soleimani and the Quds forces out of your country! They are not acting in your interest, they are only hurting you. Their whole presence only brings problems and destruction."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Liberman-to-Assad-Boot-the-Iranians-out-for-your-own-good-556171|title=Liberman to Assad: Boot the Iranians out, for your own good|work=The Jerusalem Post|first=Anna|last=Ahronheim|date=11 May 2018|access-date=6 March 2021}}</ref>
On 10 July 2018, Lieberman did not rule out establishing "some kind of relationship" with Syria under Assad.<ref>{{cite news|work=Reuters|title=Israel 'not ruling out' eventual ties with Syria's Assad|date=10 July 2018|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-israel/israel-not-ruling-out-eventual-ties-with-syrias-assad-idUSKBN1K01C1}}</ref>
On 11 July 2018, Netanyahu stated that Israel was not seeking to take action against Assad, but urged Russia to facilitate the withdrawal of Iranian troops from Syria.<ref>{{Cite news|work=Reuters|date=11 July 2018|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-israel/israel-to-russia-assads-safe-from-us-but-iran-must-quit-syria-idUSKBN1K11RX|title=Israel to Russia: Assad's safe from us, but Iran must quit Syria}}</ref>
On 2 August 2018, Lieberman stated his belief that Syrian troops regaining control of the country's border with Israel would reduce the chance of conflict in the Golan Heights by providing "a real address, someone responsible, and central rule".<ref>{{cite news|work=New York Post|title=Israel talks up Assad after insurgents killed on Syria frontier|date=2 August 2018|url=https://nypost.com/2018/08/02/israel-talks-up-assad-after-insurgents-killed-on-syria-frontier/}}</ref>
In April 2019, Syria permitted the return of the remains of Zechariah Baumel to Israel in a Russian-brokered deal. In exchange, Israel released two Syrian prisoners as a "goodwill gesture" to Syria in January 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|agency=Reuters|title=Israel frees two as 'goodwill' for return of soldier's remains from Syria|date=28 July 2019|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-another-league-netanyahu-touts-friendship-with-putin-in-new-billboard/}}</ref>
In January 2021, Syria denied reports of a Russia-mediated meeting at the Khmeimim Air Base between former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Syrian National Security Bureau head Ali Mamlouk.<ref>{{cite news|work=Middle East Monitor|date=January 19, 2021|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210119-syria-denies-reports-about-meeting-israeli-officials-at-russian-air-base/|title=Syria denies reports about meeting Israeli officials at Russian air base}}</ref>
In February 2021, Israel took part in a Russian-brokered prisoner exchange with Syria, where Syria released an Israeli woman who had entered Syria in exchange for two Syrian shepherds who had entered Israel.<ref>{{Cite news|work=New York Times|title=Israel and Syria Complete a Prisoner Swap, Mediated by Russia|date=18 February 2021|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/world/middleeast/israel-syria-prisoner-swap.html}}</ref> According to the ''Times of Israel'', there was more to this agreement than purely a prisoner exchange, but that these details had been redacted by an Israeli military censor on media coverage of the agreement.<ref>{{cite news|work=Times of Israel|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-agreed-to-more-than-just-a-prisoner-exchange-to-get-woman-back-from-syria/|date=19 February 2021|title=Israel agreed to more than just a prisoner exchange to get woman back from Syria}}</ref> Subsequent foreign media reports revealed that Israel had supplied COVID-19 vaccines to Syria as part of the agreement.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Guardian|title=Israel said to have used Covid vaccines as bargaining tool in Syria prisoner swap|date=20 February 2021|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/20/israel-said-to-have-used-covid-vaccines-as-bargaining-tool-in-syria-prisoner-swap}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Al-Jazeera|title=Israel paying millions to supply COVID-19 doses to Syria|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/20/israel-paying-millions-to-supply-covid-19-doses-to-syria|date=20 February 2021}}</ref>
On May 19, 2022, the Israeli military said it activated its missile defences after wrongly identifying a danger near the Lebanon border.<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel fires missile defenses near Lebanon after misidentification |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/air-raid-sirens-sound-israel-near-border-with-lebanon-2022-05-19/ |access-date=22 May 2022 |work=Reuters |agency=Reuters |publisher=Reuters |date=19 May 2022}}</ref>
On May 20, 2022, an Israeli "aggression" launched from the Golan Heights and targeting southern sections of Damascus killed three individuals and inflicted minor material damage, according to the Syrian Ministry of Defense.<ref>{{cite news |title=Three killed in Israeli 'aggression' targeting southern Damascus, Syrian ministry says |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-air-defenses-intercept-hostile-targets-above-damascus-countryside-2022-05-20/ |access-date=22 May 2022 |work=Reuters |agency=Reuters |publisher=Reuters |date=20 May 2022}}</ref>
In October 2023, the Tahrir al-Sham's clerics held prayers for a Palestinian victory in the Gaza war and said it celebrated Hamas' jihad while condemning its ties with Shiite-led Iran.<ref>{{cite web |title=Syrian Jihadis Celebrate 'Al-Aqsa Flood' Offensive Against Israel, Urge Syrian Factions To Join Battle, Quote Prophesied Slaughter Of Jews, Lament Hamas' Ties With Iran |url=https://www.memri.org/jttm/syrian-jihadis-celebrate-al-aqsa-flood-offensive-against-israel-urge-syrian-factions-join |publisher=MEMRI |access-date=October 8, 2023 |archive-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012235736/https://www.memri.org/jttm/syrian-jihadis-celebrate-al-aqsa-flood-offensive-against-israel-urge-syrian-factions-join |url-status=live }}</ref> The group expressed support for the right of the Palestinian people to reclaim their land.<ref name="syria-gaza">{{cite news |title=Syrians' responses to Hamas' attack—and subsequent Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip—have been varied, splitting along regional, political, and ideological lines |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/syrians-reactions-first-weeks-israel-hamas-war |work=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy |date=24 October 2023}}</ref> The rebel anti-Assad Syrian National Army (SNA), previously the Free Syrian Army (FSA), expressed sympathy for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, comparing Israel's attacks in Gaza to Assad regime's attacks on rebel-held areas in Syria's Idlib Governorate.<ref name="syria-gaza"/>
On 1 April 2024, Israel's air strike on an Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital Damascus killed an important senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi.<ref>{{cite news |title=Several killed in Israeli strike on Iranian consulate in Damascus |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/1/several-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-iranian-consulate-in-damascus-reports |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>
During the decisive battle of Damascus and subsequent fall of the Assad regime on 7–8 December 2024, Israeli forces initiated military operations in Syria's Quneitra Governorate. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the goal is to prevent any threat until an agreement was reached with the new Syrian government. He also said their desire is to establish neighborly and peaceful relations, and offered a hand of peace to all the Christians, Druzes, Kurds, and Muslims in Syria who want to live in peace with the State of Israel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-claims-credit-for-starting-historic-process-that-led-to-syrian-regimes-fall/|title=Netanyahu claims credit for starting 'historic' process that led to fall of Assad regime|work=The Times of Israel|date=8 December 2024|access-date=12 December 2024|last1=Berman|first1=Lazar|last2=Sokol|first2=Sam|last3=Fabian|first3=Emanuel|last4=Staff|first4=Toi}}</ref>
A Turkish news report claimed that Assad provided Israel with a map of Syria's military sites before fleeing to Russia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/assads-shocking-final-deal-with-israel-for-his-freedom-exposed-what-big-allegations-reveal/articleshow/116500586.cms?from=mdr|title=Assad's shocking final deal with Israel for his freedom exposed; What big allegations reveal?|work=The Economic Times |date=20 December 2024|via=The Economic Times - The Times of India}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-exchanged-for-passage-out-of-country-russia-vladmir-putin-israel-attack-2652339-2024-12-19|title=Did Assad give Syria's military secrets to Israel to save himself, family?|date=19 December 2024|website=India Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryg00ypxs1g|title=Did Assad trade military secrets with Israel? Turkish claims make global headlines|first=Itamar|last=Eichner|work=Ynetnews |date=18 December 2024|via=www.ynetnews.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newarab.com/news/russia-fuels-rumours-about-assads-secret-dealings-israel|title=Russia fuels rumours about Assad's secret dealings with Israel|first=The New|last=Arab |work=The New Arab }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.india.com/news/world/bashar-al-assad-joined-hands-with-israel-and-shared-secret-military-information-before-leaving-syria-report-says-7479132/|title=Bashar al-Assad joined hands with Israel and shared secret military information before leaving Syria? Report says..|website=www.india.com}}</ref>
===Post-Assad Syria: 2025–present=== [[File:2024 Israeli invasion of Syria.png|thumb|200px|Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Israeli invasion of Syria in 2024]] {{See also|Israeli invasion of Syria (2024–present)}} {{Quote box | quote = "Israel occupied the Golan Heights in order to protect Israel, and now they are imposing conditions in the south of Syria in order to protect the Golan Heights. So after a few years, maybe they will occupy the center of Syria in order to protect the south of Syria. They will reach Munich on that pathway[...]" | author = — Ahmed al-Sharaa (November 11, 2025)<ref name="WP" /> | width = 20% | align = right | salign = right }} After announcing that due to the regime collapsing, Israel no longer recognizes the ceasefire that was reached with the former regime and does not view it as legally binding anymore, during its December 2024 invasion, Israel took control of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) buffer area.<ref name=Isrpms>{{cite web | title=Israel PM says ordered military to 'seize' Syria buffer zone | website=France 24 | date=2024-12-08 | url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241208-israel-pm-says-ordered-military-to-seize-syria-buffer-zone | access-date=2025-09-27}}</ref>
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the governates of Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda, and the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Syrian territory south of Damascus on 23 February 2025.<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel demands complete demilitarisation of southern Syria |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgenz02lp8o |work=BBC |date=24 February 2025}}</ref> Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israeli forces would remain in southern Syria "for an indefinite period of time to protect our communities and thwart any threat."<ref>{{cite news |title=Netanyahu says Israel won't allow Syrian forces 'south of Damascus' |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/netanyahu-says-israel-won-t-allow-syrian-forces-south-of-damascus-/7985248.html |work=VOA News |date=February 23, 2025}}</ref> Syria condemned Israel's invasion and demanded they withdraw.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 February 2025 |title=Syria calls for Israel's withdrawal from its lands, national dialogue closing statement says |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-calls-israels-withdrawal-its-lands-national-dialogue-closing-statement-2025-02-25/ |website=Reuters}}</ref> Hours later, Israel conducted a wave of airstrikes in Damascus and southern Syria.<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel bombs 'military targets' in southern Syria, outside Damascus |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/26/israel-bombs-military-targets-in-southern-syria-outside-damascus |work=Al Jazeera |date=26 February 2025}}</ref> Reuters reported in February 2025 that the United States is being lobbied by Israel to keep Syria weak and decentralized, including by allowing Russia to maintain military bases in Syria to counter Turkey.<ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: Israel lobbies US to keep Russian bases in a 'weak' Syria, sources say |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/israel-lobbies-us-keep-russian-bases-weak-syria-sources-say-2025-02-28/ |work=Reuters |date=28 February 2025}}</ref>
Israel received a delegation of over 150 Syrian Druze from Hader, Syria in March 2025, a historic visit after fifty years of a closed border. The visit had top level Israeli diplomatic and security involvement and included a visit to the Nabi Shu'ayb tomb, a meeting with Israeli Druze leader, Muwaffaq Tarif, participation in the annual sheikhs march, and dedication of a khalwa. Israeli Druze MK Hamad Amar coordinated the visit, and hopes many more will continue for years to come. He expressed concern that the new leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is a former member of the Islamic State, and termed the 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites a genocide. He was also worried about the threats to Druze in southern Syria, and hoped Israel would continue to defend them.<ref>{{cite web |last=Merlin |first=Ohad |date=March 16, 2025 |title='Hope we remain in touch forever': Druze MK Hamed Amar on historic visit from Syria's Druze |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-846244 |website=The Jerusalem Post |location= |publisher= |access-date=July 5, 2025}}</ref>
Reports in June 2025 stated that Israel and Syria were in direct daily contact and discussing the possibility of normalizing their bilateral relations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hanegbi-israel-in-direct-daily-contact-with-syria-exploring-normalization/|title=Hanegbi: Israel in direct daily contact with Syria, exploring normalization|work=The Times of Israel|date=24 June 2025|access-date=27 June 2025|last=Freiberg|first=Nava}}</ref> Israel stated on 3 July 2025 that its forces had captured a "terrorist cell operated by Iran" in southern Syria.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-07-02 |title=Israeli military says it captured 'terrorist cell operated by Iran' in southern Syria |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-military-says-it-captured-terrorist-cell-operated-by-iran-southern-syria-2025-07-02/ |access-date=2025-07-02 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> Israeli airstrikes on 16 July 2025 targeted the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus and multiple sites across Suwayda and Daraa in response to massacres of Druze perpetrated by Bedouin militias and Syrian military forces.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldbaum |first=Christina |date=2025-07-15 |title=Israel Attacks Near Syria's Military Headquarters. Here's What to Know. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/world/middleeast/druse-syria-bedouin-israel-fighting.html |access-date=2025-07-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The strikes killed at least three and injured 34, also hitting the vicinity of the Presidential Palace and the al-Tha'lah Airbase.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tawfeeq |first=Eyad Kourdi, Catherine Nicholls, Eugenia Yosef, Mostafa Salem, Mohammed |date=2025-07-16 |title=Powerful Israeli strikes rock Damascus as Syrian forces clash with Druze militias |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/16/middleeast/damascus-syria-airstrikes-intl |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=16 July 2025 |title=Ongoing violations: Israeli fighter jets executed two airstrikes on Al-Suwaidaa and seven members of the Ministry of Defence killed |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/366043/ |access-date=16 July 2025 |website=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=16 July 2025 |title=غارات "إسرائيلية" تستهدف مدينة درعا |trans-title="Israeli" Airstrikes Target the City of Daraa |url=https://observeriraq.net/غارات-إسرائيلية-تستهدف-مدينة-درعا/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250716144953/https://observeriraq.net/%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%81-%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B9%D8%A7/ |archive-date=16 July 2025 |access-date=16 July 2025 |website=Iraq Observer |language=ar}}</ref>
On August 20, 2025, the official Syrian News Agency issued an official statement that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met in Paris with an Israeli delegation "to discuss a number of issues related to strengthening stability in the region and in southern Syria."<ref>{{Cite web |last=קייס |first=רועי |title=באופן חריג: בסוריה הודיעו רשמית על פגישה עם משלחת ישראלית בפריז |url=https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/politic/943524/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=כאן {{!}} תאגיד השידור הישראלי |language=he}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Syria, Israel held quiet Paris meeting under US oversight | website=The Jerusalem Post | date=2025-08-21 | url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864882 | access-date=2025-08-23}}</ref> This was the first time in over 25 years that an official Syrian media outlet had reported on contacts between the Syrian government and the Israeli government.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-19 |title=N12 - הפגישה המשולשת בפריז: מגעים ישראליים-סורים על הסדרי... |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-world/2025_q3/Article-22396bbfad2c891026.htm |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=N12}}</ref> A few days later, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa claimed that a security agreement with Israel was at an advanced stage, and emphasized that he would not hesitate to publicly reach a peace agreement with Israel if it benefited Syria and the region.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-865203|title=Sharaa claims 'chances are high' Syria will reach security agreement with Israel|work=The Jerusalem Post|last=Aharoni|first=Liran|date=25 August 2025|access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> During his visit to Washington, D.C. in November 2025, al-Sharaa stated that they are in direct negotiations with Israel, and reiterated that Israel should withdraw to their pre-December 8 borders before a final agreement can be reached.<ref name="WP">{{cite news |date=November 11, 2025 |title=Syrian president details plans to work with Americans he once fought |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/11/11/ahmed-al-sharaa-syria-us/ |newspaper=Washington Post |location= |publisher= |access-date=November 14, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 12, 2025 |title=Sharaa claims Syria is negotiating with Israel, demands 'return to Dec. 8 borders' |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-873546 |website=The Jerusalem Post |location= |publisher= |access-date=November 14, 2025}}</ref>
In November 2025, the Israeli army killed 13 individuals in the Syrian town of Beit Jinn, while the unlawful detention of Syrians has risen due to the Israeli army's expansion of checkpoints in Syria. In a December 2025 interview with CNN, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that Israeli leaders "frequently export crises to other nations."<ref>{{cite web |title=Syria's al-Sharaa promises peace and unity in face of Israeli aggression |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/6/syrias-al-sharaa-promises-peace-and-unity-in-face-of-israeli-aggression |website=aljazeera}}</ref>
== Peace, security, and non-aggression agreements == {{see also|Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria}} Over the decades, conversations and negotiations have been conducted between Israeli and Syrian representatives on potential peace deals. Under the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement, the two parties agreed to the continuation of the ceasefire, the demilitarized zones, and the presence of a UN Peacekeeping Force. It lasted 45 years until the fall of the Assad regime, at which point Israel unilaterally decided that the Syrian signatory had ceased to exist and that the deal was no longer in operation.<ref name=Isrpms/> The agreement was explicitly not a peace treaty, but rather a "step towards [...] peace".<ref name="Separation of Forces Agreement Between Israel and Syria; May 31, 1974">{{cite web |date=1974-05-31 |title=Separation of Forces Agreement Between Israel and Syria; May 31, 1974 |url=https://avalon.law.yale.edu/21st_century/pal04.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002233905/https://avalon.law.yale.edu/21st_century/pal04.asp |archive-date=2017-10-02 |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Yale Law School}}</ref> Israeli military documents released in 2024 described the negotiation as much more difficult than the contemporaneous negotiations with Egypt.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Israel lifts secrecy on documents of negotiations with Syria in 1974 |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-lifts-secrecy-on-documents-of-negotiations-with-syria-in-1974/3152956 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref>
There were rumours of secret negotiations between Israel and Syria regarding the status of the Golan Heights. One was that the Golan was secretly sold to Israel by President Hafez al-Assad for $100 million or for promises of non-involvement by Israel in Syrian internal affairs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=el-Fetouh |first=Amira Abo |date=2019-04-01 |title=Giving Israel the Golan Heights is the price paid by Assad to stay in power |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190401-giving-israel-the-golan-heights-is-the-price-paid-by-assad-to-stay-in-power/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Middle East Monitor}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Assad regime never sought to regain Golan: Opposition |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/assad-regime-never-sought-to-regain-golan-opposition/1427346 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gedalyahu |first=Tzvi Ben |title='Israel Paid Syria $100 Million for Golan |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/149730 |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=Israel National News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-11-14 |title=Golan sold to Israel before 67 war by Assad's father, uncle? – Ya Libnan |url=https://yalibnan.com/2011/11/14/golan-sold-to-israel-before-67-war-by-assads-father-uncle/ |access-date=2025-09-29 |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Specific rumor is sourced to an opinion piece.|date=September 2025}} Opponents of the Syrian government during the civil war accused Bashar Assad of tacitly giving up the heights by not defending it internationally.<ref name=":0" />
=== 2025 Negotiations === Following the establishment of al-Sharaa's government, talks began again on a border deal. Syria said that its goal is an agreement similar to the 1974 agreement, and that control over the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon are not being discussed.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-09-18 |title=Syria's President Says Border Deal With Israel Could Come 'Within Days' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/world/middleeast/syria-israel.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250919030522/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/world/middleeast/syria-israel.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |archive-date=19 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref> Separately the Syrian president said that there could be a peace agreement with Israel if it benefited Syria,<ref name=":1" /> but that normalization was off the table.<ref>{{Cite news |last=The New Arab Staff |title=Sharaa rules out Israel normalisation despite security talks |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/sharaa-rules-out-israel-normalisation-despite-security-talks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250916211110/https://www.newarab.com/news/sharaa-rules-out-israel-normalisation-despite-security-talks |archive-date=16 September 2025 |access-date=2025-09-21 |work=The New Arab |language=en-EN |url-status=live }}</ref> Syria's Information minister Hamza al-Mustafa said that joining the Abraham Accords was off the table until Israel withdraws from the Golan Heights.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-30 |title=Information Minister: negotiations with Israel imposed by its Continued attacks - SANA |url=https://sana.sy/en/local/2270199/ |access-date=2025-09-30 |language=en-US}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |+Reported contents of new peace agreement !Syrian demands !Israeli demands |- | * Withdrawal IDF forces to 1974 agreement lines (except for 2 bases){{dubious|date=December 2025}}<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Agreement Between Israel and Syria: The Beginning of a New Era? |url=https://www.inss.org.il/social_media/agreement-between-israel-and-syria-the-beginning-of-a-new-era/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=INSS |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Agencies and Jacob Magid |date=2025-09-22 |title=As Israel and Syria negotiate security deal, Sharaa balks at potential normalization |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-israel-and-syria-negotiate-security-deal-sharaa-balks-at-potential-normalization/ |access-date=2025-09-25 |work=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |issn=0040-7909}}</ref> * Recognition of al-Sharaa government<ref name=":3" /> * Non-interference in Syrian internal affairs<ref name=":3" /> * Recognition and respect of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity<ref>{{Cite news |last=Agencies and ToI Staff |date=2025-09-24 |title='We are scared of Israel': Syria's Sharaa insists his country poses no threat |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/we-are-scared-of-israel-syrias-sharaa-insists-his-country-poses-no-threat/ |access-date=2025-09-25 |work=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |issn=0040-7909}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> | * Syrian territory will not be used to attack Israel<ref name=":3" /> * Reduced Iranian and proxy presence in Syria<ref name=":3" /> * Security for Syrian minorities<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Berman |first=Lazar |date=2025-09-24 |title=Netanyahu says Damascus deal must demilitarize Syria's south, protect Druze |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-says-damascus-deal-must-demilitarize-syrias-south-protect-druze/ |access-date=2025-09-25 |work=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |issn=0040-7909}}</ref> * Partial demilitarization of southern Syria<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /> * Air corridor through Syrian territory to Iran<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2025-09-20 |title=Benjamin Netanyahu meets ministers to discuss Syria peace deal |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-868164 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en |issn=0792-822X }}</ref> |} In late October 2025, Israeli sources told Al Arabiya that an agreement was close, based on the 1974 agreement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-29 |title=Israel-Syria negotiations ongoing: Source |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/10/29/israelsyria-negotiations-ongoing-source- |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Al Arabiya English |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-29 |title=المفاوضات بين سوريا وإسرائيل مستمرة.. مسؤول يؤكد |url=https://www.alarabiya.net/arab-and-world/syria/2025/10/29/%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%A4%D9%83%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%82-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A9 |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=العربية |language=ar}}</ref> The agreement reportedly includes a trilateral committee of Israeli, Syrian, and American representatives, guarantees for minority protection in southern Syria, and an Israeli commitment to Syrian territorial integrity.
On January 5, 2026, high-level security negotiations between Israel and Syria resumed in Paris under the coordination of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and French mediation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Sunniva |title=Syria and Israel return to France for security talks under US mediation |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/2026/01/05/syria-and-israel-return-to-france-for-security-talks-under-us-mediation/ |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Agencies and ToI Staff |date=2026-01-05 |title=New round of US-mediated negotiations between Israel and Syria begins in Paris |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/new-round-of-us-mediated-negotiations-between-israel-and-syria-begins-in-paris/ |access-date=2026-01-05 |work=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |issn=0040-7909}}</ref> The Syrian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama, is seeking the withdrawal of Israeli forces to positions held prior to the December 2024 fall of the Assad regime.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-05 |title=Syria, Israel resume talks to reach security agreement, Syrian state news agency says |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2026/01/05/syria-israel-resume-talks-to-reach-security-agreement-syrian-state-news-agency-says |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=Al Arabiya English |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria, Israel discuss reviving 1974 disengagement accord |url=https://english.news.cn/20260105/6afa4b1f093f4d6da9f9d47e50f58bba/c.html |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=english.news.cn |language=en}}</ref> These discussions, reportedly prompted by a request from U.S. President Donald Trump to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, aim to reactivate the 1974 Disengagement Agreement to stabilize the border.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria, Israel resume U.S.-mediated security talks - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012 |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/01/syria-israel-resume-us-mediated-security-talks |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=www.al-monitor.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=The Media Line |date=2026-01-05 |title=Israel–Syria Security Talks Resume in Paris After 2 Month Freeze |url=https://themedialine.org/headlines/israel-syria-security-talks-resume-in-paris-after-2-month-freeze/ |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=The Media Line |language=en-US}}</ref> While Israel, represented by Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, maintains that any agreement must protect its "red lines" and prevent Iranian entrenchment, Syria has emphasized its commitment to restoring full national sovereignty.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-05 |title=Syrian and Israeli officials set to resume US-mediated talks in Paris |url=https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-us-talks-paris-buffer-21623a9919d031e9d31620902a527089 |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-26 |title=Israel and Syria may soon sign a security agreement: i24 |url=https://www.1lurer.am/en/2025/12/26/Israel-and-Syria-may-soon-sign-a-security-agreement-i24/1439088 |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=www.1lurer.am |language=en}}</ref> This exploratory summit represents the first significant diplomatic engagement between the two nations following a two-month hiatus in talks.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eichner |first=Itamar |last2=Eichner |first2=Itamar |date=2026-01-05 |title=Israel, Syria return to US-backed talks with sharp disputes over withdrawal, demilitarization |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1fvdifnbl |access-date=2026-01-05 |work=Ynetglobal |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Israel, Syria to renew talks on security deal after nearly two months' hiatus |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420385 |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=Israel National News |language=en}}</ref>
On January 6, 2026, officials confirmed that the negotiations were ongoing in Paris, with further discussions expected under U.S. mediation, even against the backdrop of reports of Israeli military activity in southern Syria.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Syrian and Israeli officials set to resume US-mediated talks in Paris |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syrian-israeli-officials-set-resume-us-mediated-talks-128904787 |access-date=2026-01-06 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Al Jazeera |title=Israel moving further in southern Syria; SDF, gov’t forces clash in Aleppo |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/6/israeli-army-vehicles-enter-quneitra-countryside-village-in-southern-syria |access-date=2026-01-06 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> Israeli media reported that Israeli officials regard the resumption of talks as a constructive development and have cited Syrian expressions of seriousness toward the negotiation process as a positive indication.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-06 |title=Syrian Gov't optimistic about resuming talks with Israel |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-882432 |access-date=2026-01-06 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en |issn=0792-822X }}</ref><ref>N12. (2026, January 6). גורם סורי ל-N12: “יש קרקע להתקדמות אפשרית לעבר הסכם ביטחוני בלחץ אמריקני” [A Syrian source to N12: “There is ground for possible progress toward a security agreement under U.S. pressure”]. Mako. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/2026_q1/Article-fecdb4747129b91026.htm</ref> Later that day, Israel and Syria agreed to establish a U.S.-supervised communication mechanism, intended to enable regular coordination and reduce the risk of military escalation, marking a procedural step toward more structured engagement between the two sides.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Israel, Syria agree to de-escalation mechanism after security talks in Paris |url=http://english.news.cn/20260107/76e3017f31fc4e0389717ec33f5bedb7/c.html |access-date=2026-01-06 |website=english.news.cn |language=en}}</ref><ref>Gebeily, M., Rose, E., & Alaa El-Din, M. (2026, January 6). ''Israel, Syria to set up communication mechanism after US-mediated talks''. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-syria-set-up-communication-mechanism-after-us-mediated-talks-2026-01-06/</ref>
==Israeli humanitarian aid to Syrians== {{see also|Operation Good Neighbor}}
===Operation Good Neighbor (2016–2018)=== In June 2016, the Israeli military began ''Operation Good Neighbor'', a multi-faceted humanitarian relief operation to prevent starvation of Syrians who live along the border and provide basic or advanced medical treatment.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/operation-good-neighbor-israels-massive-humanitarian-aid-to-syria-revealed/ Operation Good Neighbor: Israel reveals its massive humanitarian aid to Syria] The Times of Israel, 19 July 2017.</ref>
The aid consisted of medical care, water, electricity, education or food and was given to Syrians near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, often escorted across by Israeli soldiers. Over 200,000 Syrians received such aid, and more than 4,000 of them were treated in Israeli hospitals from 2013 to September 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Operation-Good-Neighbor-540359|title=Operation Good Neighbor: Bringing injured and sick Syrians into Israel – Arab-Israeli Conflict – Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=3 February 2018 |access-date=22 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/for-the-first-time-israel-describes-the-aid-work-it-carries-out-in-syria/2017/07/19/22e466a6-6c91-11e7-abbc-a53480672286_story.html|title=For the first time, Israel describes the aid work it carries out in Syria|first=Ruth|last=Eglash|date=19 July 2017|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-syria-assad-treating-airstrikes-military-wounded-injured-war-a7673771.html%3famp Israel treating thousands of Syrians injured in war] The Independent, 8 April 2017.</ref> Many of the treated victims were civilians, often children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-increases-aid-to-Syrian-civilians-afflicted-by-war-500143|title=IDF details scope of Israeli aid to Syrians afflicted by war|date=19 July 2017 }}</ref> Allegations have been made that some were rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army. This theory is supported by the claim that Israel had a strategic interest in aiding the rebels; they fought against both ISIL and Iranian-allied forces.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-giving-secret-aid-syrian-rebels-bashar-al-assad-golah-heights-hezbollah-fursan-al-joulan-a7797151.html%3famp Israel ‘giving secret aid to Syrian rebels’, report says: Direct funding, food, fuel and medical supplies allegedly provided by Israeli state to keep Isis and Iranian-allied forces in neighbouring civil war at bay] The Independent, 19 June 2017.</ref>
=== COVID-19 Vaccines === In 2021, a reported claimed that Israel agreed to fund an undisclosed number of coronavirus vaccines for the Syrian people via a Russian intermediary, in exchange for the release of an Israeli citizen who illegally crossed the ceasefire line. The claim was denied by Syria.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-02-21 |title=Israel Secretly Agrees to Fund Vaccines for Syria as Part of Prisoner Swap |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/world/middleeast/israel-syria-prisoner-swap-vaccines.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816183123/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/world/middleeast/israel-syria-prisoner-swap-vaccines.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |archive-date=16 August 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
===Israeli humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of the Syrian earthquake (2023)=== Shortly after of the 2023 Turkey and Syria earthquake, the State of Israel received a Government of Turkey request for assistance from the Israel Defense Force in search and rescue and recovery efforts, and the IDF deployed a large team of approximately 500 search and rescue professionals to assist the Turks in the aftermath of the earthquake. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he also received a request from Syria through Russian interlocutors to send aid to Syria and assist in search and rescue operations there even though the two nations are technically in a state of war and do not have relations. Israel has plans to send aid to Syria, including humanitarian aid, medication, blankets, and tents. In contrast to the assistance provided by Israel to Turkey, any assistance provided to Syria by the Israeli government would not involve the military, according to IDF spokesman Ran Kochav who stated that the military was not involved in potential aid to Syria.<ref name="WaPo 1">{{cite news |last1=Schanen, Taylor |first1=Naomi, Adam |title=Countries rush aid, medical teams and rescue dogs to Turkey and Syria |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/07/turkey-syria-earthquake-aid/ |access-date=8 February 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref name="TOI 1">{{cite news |last1=Gross |first1=Judah Ari |title=Another Israeli aid delegation takes off for southern Turkey after deadly quakes |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/another-israeli-aid-delegation-takes-off-for-southern-turkey-after-deadly-quakes/ |access-date=8 February 2023 |agency=The Times of Israel |publisher=Times of Israel |ref=ToI}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The IDF's Humanitarian Aid Through the Years |url=https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/humanitarian-missions/the-idf-s-humanitarian-aid-through-the-years/ |website=IDF Humanitarian Missions}}</ref><ref name="Bloomberg 1">{{cite news |last1=Odenheimer |first1=Alisa |title=Israel to Provide Rapid Aid to Turkey After Deadly Earthquake |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-06/israel-to-provide-rapid-aid-to-turkey-after-deadly-earthquake |access-date=8 February 2023 |agency=Bloomberg News }}</ref><ref name="TOI 2">{{cite news |last1=Berman |first1=Lazar |title=Request was received': Israel to send earthquake relief to Syria as well as Turkey |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-says-israel-will-send-earthquake-relief-to-syria-as-well-as-turkey/amp/ |access-date=8 February 2023 |work=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref name="TOI 3">{{cite news |last1=Fabian |first1=Emanuel |title=We'll do our best to save lives': IDF rescue delegation arrives in southern Turkey |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/great-privilege-to-reach-out-to-our-neighbor-idf-aid-delegation-heads-to-turkey/amp/ |access-date=8 February 2023 |agency= |work=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref name="Times of Israel">{{cite news |last1=Fabian |first1=Emanuel |title=IDF to set up field hospital in Turkey; Israel's search and rescue team starts work |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-to-set-up-field-hospital-in-turkey-to-treat-injured-in-earthquake/amp/ |access-date=8 February 2023 |work=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref name="The Times of Israel 1">{{cite news |last1=Spiro |first1=Amy |title=Israel to dispatch emergency aid, teams to earthquake-stricken Turkey |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-offers-to-dispatch-emergency-aid-to-earthquake-stricken-turkey/amp/ |access-date=8 February 2023 |agency=The Times of Israel |publisher=ToI}}</ref>
==Economic relations== thumb|Apple exports to Syria at Quneitra crossing, February 2011
There have been virtually no economic relations between the two countries since the creation of the state of Israel, and a limited movement of people across the border. Syria continues to be an active participant in the Arab boycott of Israel.
As an exception, since 2004 Syria has accepted apples from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights through the Quneitra crossing. In 2010, Syria accepted some 10,000 tons of apples grown by Druze farmers in the Golan Heights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1153539.html|title=Israeli Trucks Cross Into Syria in Annual 'Apple Invasion'|work=Haaretz.com|access-date=17 April 2016|archive-date=6 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406162719/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1153539.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Israeli minister Ayoub Kara called for an agreement with Syria over the supply of water to towns in the Golan Heights. Today, 10% of water in the Druze town of Majdal Shams is supplied by Syria, from the Ein al-Toufah spring. This arrangement has been in place for 25 years.<ref name=water>{{cite web |url=https://www.haaretz.com/news/israeli-druze-minister-syria-should-give-water-to-golan-towns-1.263324|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620075455/http://www.haaretz.com/news/israeli-druze-minister-syria-should-give-water-to-golan-towns-1.263324|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 June 2010|title=Israeli Druze Minister: Syria Should Give Water to Golan Towns|work=Haaretz|date=14 February 2010|access-date=17 April 2016}}</ref>
==Tourism and cultural exchange== In 2010, the Israeli government authorized a pilgrimage to Syria by a group of 300 Druze citizens of Israel interested in visiting religious sites there.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3965496,00.html|title=Israeli Druze to go on historic visit to Syria|work=ynet|date=6 October 2010 |access-date=17 April 2016|last1=Einav |first1=Hagai }}</ref> A group of dancers from five Druze villages in the occupied Golan Heights travelled to Aleppo to perform in a dabka competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=299530|title=Hebrew press sees thaw in Syria-Israel relations|work=Maan News Agency|access-date=17 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024224016/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=299530|archive-date=24 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Civilians are permitted to cross the ceasefire line at Quneitra for university studies and marriage. Syrian citizens of the Golan are entitled to free tuition, books and lodging.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/18/Worldandnation/Golan_families_dream_.shtml |title=Golan families dream of reunion |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=18 February 2007 |author=Susan Taylor Martin|access-date=25 October 2008}}</ref> Since 1993, 67 Syrian brides have crossed into the Golan Heights and 11 brides from Golan have crossed into Syria.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/one_way_ticket.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411071408/http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/one_way_ticket.php|url-status=dead|title=One way ticket for Druze Syrian Brides | Ya Libnan | Lebanon News Live from Beirut|archivedate=11 April 2009|website=yalibnan.com}}</ref>
==See also== * Attacks on US bases during the Gaza war * Israel and the Syrian civil war * Independent Israel–Syria peace initiatives * Israel–Syria Mixed Armistice Commission * War over Water (Jordan River)
==References== {{reflist}}
==Explanatory notes== {{reflist|group=Note|refs=<ref name=Note01>CIA original operative Miles Copeland, claims that these proxies were a cover for a cooperative Israeli-Syrian efforts to actually protect Israel: "The Syrian Government, the most two-faced of them all, has gone so far as to provoke Palestinian units into making raids into Israel, and then to tip off the Israelis". Copeland, Miles. ''Without Cloak or Dagger''. 1974. {{LCCN|741136}}. pp. 220–221.</ref>}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book| last=Cobban| first=Helena| author-link=Helena Cobban| title=The Israeli–Syrian Peace Talks: 1991–96 And Beyond| year=2000| publisher=United States Institute of Peace Press| location=Washington, D.C.| isbn=1-878379-98-4| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/israelisyrianpea0000cobb}} * {{cite book| last=Drysdale| first=Alastair| title=Syria and the Middle East Peace Process| url=https://archive.org/details/syriamiddleeast00alas| url-access=registration| year=1991| publisher=Council on Foreign Relations Press| location=New York| isbn=0-87609-105-2}} * {{cite book| last=Rabinovich| first=Itamar| author-link=Itamar Rabinovich| title=The Road not Taken: Early Arab-Israeli Negotiations| year=1991| publisher=Oxford University Press| location=Oxford [Oxfordshire]| isbn=0-19-506066-0}}
==External links== * [http://digitool.library.mcgill.ca/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=29782&local_base=GEN01-MCG02 Agricultural trade potential following peace in the Middle East: The case of Syria and Israel] * [https://archive.today/20130415033800/http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=283&PID=0&IID=3647&TTL= Is Israel Facing War with Hizbullah and Syria?]
{{Foreign relations of Israel}} {{Foreign relations of Syria}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Israel-Syria relations}} Category:Israel–Syria relations Syria Category:Bilateral relations of Syria