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Mossad Chief, Syrian Foreign Minister Hold Positive De-escalation Talks after Israeli Airstrike
(Times of Israel) Nava Freiberg - Israel's Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met on Sunday in Jordan to defuse tensions after Israel's strike last week on a Syrian airbase. They discussed establishing "a special operations room" in Jordan under U.S. supervision to prevent any confrontation in Syria, including involving Turkey, AFP reported. Israel's Channel 12 reported that the meeting was positive and was considered a step toward restarting direct Jerusalem-Damascus negotiations. An Israeli security source said Jerusalem has set a number of red lines for such talks, including not allowing any Turkish military activity in Syria; keeping the Syrian side of the Golan Heights a demilitarized zone; not allowing the Syrian army to possess strategic weapons; ensuring the security of Syria's Druze community; and only withdrawing Israeli troops from the buffer zone in Syria in exchange for diplomatic achievements. Channel 12 also reported Sunday that Israel has recently identified an increase in Hizbullah's attempts to smuggle weapons from Syria into Lebanon. While the Syrian and Lebanese armies have publicized several weapons seizures over recent months, an Israeli security official said: "We assess that many shipments are getting through without being detected."