The US government has announced it will launch a joint mechanism with Israel and Syria to ease tensions between the two Middle Eastern countries.
The US State Department released a statement on Tuesday. It says the US mediated a meeting between senior Israeli and Syrian officials and reached an agreement to establish the joint mechanism.
Under the framework, the two sides commit to facilitate coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, and diplomatic engagement under the supervision of the US.
US news website Axios reported that the meeting was attended by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Axios also reported that Trump had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return to the table during their meeting last month.
Israel and Syria have long been at odds with each other, even after the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad collapsed in 2024 and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa was sworn in.
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on the Syrian capital Damascus, saying it aims to protect a minority community. Tensions have continued as Israel continues to maintain its military presence in the buffer zone with Syria.
The US apparently wants to improve relations between the two countries and stabilize the Middle East by establishing the mechanism.