Syrian Foreign Minister Says Talks with Israel Halted After Airstrike on Syrian Base

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Sheibani announced on Sunday that diplomatic talks with Israel have been suspended following a recent Israeli airstrike on Syrian territory. In an interview with Reuters, al-Sheibani emphasized that Damascus prioritizes stopping Israeli attacks and called for confidence-building measures to that end.

Washington has been attempting for over a year to broker a security agreement between Israel and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government. However, al-Sheibani revealed that negotiations were frozen since the outbreak of conflict involving Iran and that the connection between Syria and Israel was severed after the airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in Idlib province last week. "We do not currently trust Israel," he stated.

The airstrikes targeted the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria on August 18, 2026, with four separate attacks hitting the military runway. Following the strikes, the Syrian foreign minister acknowledged for the first time that Syria possesses nuclear material, asserting their right to use it for civilian purposes.

Israel's Defense Minister commented that the strikes were based on intelligence about Turkey's intentions to conduct activities at the site that could threaten Israeli security. Israel reportedly issued direct warnings to both the Syrian regime and the United States prior to the attack. After no response was received, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the Israeli Defense Forces to carry out the operation.