A Syrian delegation, including Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani, was taking part in a new round of negotiations with Israel on Monday, Syrian state media reported, the first in several months.
Quoting a government source, state news agency SANA said the talks were coordinated and mediated by Washington, adding that the discussions were focused on reaching "a balanced security agreement" between the two countries.
A government source told SANA that the delegation is headed by Foreign Minister al Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein al Salama.
Two diplomatic sources said that the US-mediated talks were being held in Paris.
SANA said the negotiations were focused on reactivating a 1974 disengagement agreement and guaranteeing "the withdrawal of Israeli forces" to their positions before the overthrow of Bashar al Assad in December 2024.
Repeated incursions into Syrian territory
After Assad's ousting, the Israeli army sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone which has separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the occupied Golan Heights for decades.
Israel has also carried out repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory since then, as well as bombings, and has said it wants a demilitarised zone in the country's south.
The United States has been pushing Syria and Israel to reach an agreement that would halt hostilities between the two countries, technically at war since 1948.
"The resumption of these negotiations is confirmation of Syria's firm commitment to restoring its non-negotiable national rights," the government source told SANA.
Officials have met on several occasions, most recently in September, but Israel's insistence on a demilitarised zone in southern Syria has been a major stumbling block.
Last month, Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa said the demand would endanger his country and urged Israel to respect the 1974 deal.
