Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he spoke by telephone with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during deadly clashes in southern Syria in July 2025, claiming the conversation helped stop the killings. Damascus has not confirmed the call, which Netanyahu disclosed less than two weeks before Israel’s parliamentary elections.
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Netanyahu made the announcement on October 15 at a Likud campaign gathering with members of Israel’s Druze community in Yarka, a northern Israeli town. He described the conversation as brief and tense but did not explain how it was arranged or provide further details.
The Israeli prime minister also discussed Israeli military operations during the violence in Syria’s predominantly Druze Sweida Governorate, including airstrikes against the Syrian Defense Ministry building and a target within the presidential palace compound in Damascus.
Violence erupted in July 2025 following clashes between Druze and Bedouin groups, with Syrian government forces and tribal fighters subsequently becoming involved. Israel carried out strikes against Syrian military positions, saying it was acting to protect the Druze community.
In its first response to Netanyahu’s announcement, the Syrian government neither confirmed nor denied the conversation. An unnamed official source quoted by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) rejected attempts to involve Syria’s Druze community in Israeli election campaigning, describing it as an integral part of the country’s national fabric.
The source accused Israel of interfering in the July 2025 violence and arming an unauthorized armed group to destabilize Sweida. The allegation has not been independently verified.
According to the Syrian government, Israeli airstrikes during the clashes prevented Syrian forces from intervening to restore order. Damascus maintained that US mediation, rather than Netanyahu’s reported conversation with Sharaa, had brought those strikes to an end.
Syria also reaffirmed its cooperation with the United States and Jordan on a roadmap intended to restore stability in Sweida and called for international pressure on Israel to comply with the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
The Media Line sought comment from Ahmad Mowaffaq Zaidan, media affairs adviser to Sharaa, and Mohammad al-Jafal, adviser for Afro-Asian affairs at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Neither had responded by publication time.
Israel, Syria continuing to pursue security negotiations
The disclosure comes as Israel and Syria pursue US-mediated security negotiations despite continuing disagreements over Israeli military deployments and Syrian sovereignty.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and expanded its military presence in southern Syrian territory following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in December 2024. Damascus demands that Israeli forces withdraw from areas entered after Assad’s removal and that both countries return to the arrangements established under the 1974 agreement.
Israeli authorities maintain that their military operations and deployments are necessary to protect the country's northern border.
Although Israel and Syria have no formal diplomatic relations, contacts between senior officials have become an important part of efforts to prevent further confrontation.
In August, Reuters reported, citing informed sources, that Mossad chief Roman Gofman spoke with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on August 14 about Turkey’s military presence in Syria.
Jordan subsequently hosted US-mediated talks between senior Syrian and Israeli delegations on August 23, according to SANA. Those discussions addressed Israeli military operations, measures to reduce tensions, and the possibility of reaching a security agreement.
Netanyahu’s disclosure suggests that contact may also have occurred directly between the countries’ leaders, although Damascus has yet to acknowledge such an exchange.
Netanyahu-Sharaa call could signal willingness to reduce tensions
Syrian political analyst Firas Allawi told The Media Line that the reported conversation could signal a willingness to communicate despite the deep disagreements between Damascus and Israel. He cautioned against interpreting it as evidence of an approaching peace agreement.
“Any political contact between the two sides could represent an initial step toward reducing tensions, but it does not necessarily mean that a peace agreement is close,” Allawi said.
“The issue depends on the willingness of both sides to address outstanding matters, foremost among them Syrian sovereignty and the Israeli military presence. The timing of Netanyahu’s announcement also calls for an examination of his domestic political calculations, without overlooking the possibility that these contacts are part of broader efforts to reshape the regional landscape.”
Allawi’s comments come as Netanyahu campaigns ahead of Israel’s October 27 parliamentary elections. The prime minister made his announcement before Druze voters while describing his government’s efforts to protect members of their community in Syria.
The timing raises questions about the political purpose of the disclosure, although the contacts reported between Israeli and Syrian officials in recent months suggest that discussions have continued beyond the immediate circumstances of the 2025 clashes.
For retired Syrian military pilot and analyst Khaled Mansour, the value of direct political communication depends on whether it can lead to practical arrangements that reduce the risk of further fighting.
“Moving from military confrontation to political understandings requires tangible measures on the ground, including ending escalation, limiting military operations, and establishing clear security arrangements that prevent renewed clashes,” Mansour told The Media Line. “The success of any negotiation process will also remain tied to addressing the Israeli military presence inside Syrian territory and providing mutual security guarantees that do not undermine Syrian sovereignty.”
The dispute over the buffer zone established under the 1974 agreement remains a central obstacle. Syria seeks the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territory entered after December 2024, while Israel insists on security arrangements intended to prevent hostile forces from operating near its border.
Mansour said sustained negotiations would require more than occasional direct contacts between senior leaders.
“Political contacts may help prevent military miscalculations and establish channels for containing crises, but building lasting peace requires enforceable understandings and clear mechanisms for monitoring compliance, not merely contacts or political statements.”
Despite continued US diplomatic involvement, Israel and Syria have yet to reach a comprehensive agreement governing military deployments and security arrangements along their shared frontier.
Beyond those disagreements, the possibility of direct communication between Netanyahu and Sharaa has raised hopes among some Syrians that dialogue could eventually help end decades of conflict.
Bakhour Shmantoub, head of Syria’s small Jewish community, told The Media Line that he hoped contacts between the governments could develop into a broader peace process.
“Yes, it could open the door to peace. The region is tired of wars, and peace is necessary,” Shmantoub said.