Syrian, Israeli Officials Reportedly Meet at Hmeimim Air Base

A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet is prepared for takeoff at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, Syria, on 26 September 2019. (Getty Images)
A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet is prepared for takeoff at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, Syria, on 26 September 2019. (Getty Images)
TT

Syrian, Israeli Officials Reportedly Meet at Hmeimim Air Base

A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet is prepared for takeoff at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, Syria, on 26 September 2019. (Getty Images)
A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet is prepared for takeoff at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, Syria, on 26 September 2019. (Getty Images)

Syrian and Israeli officials reportedly held a meeting last month at the Russian air base in Hmeimim, Syria.

The Russia-sponsored meeting tackled several issues, including Israel’s demand for Iran to pull out its militias from Syria, said the Jusoor for Studies website.

Damascus and Tel Aviv have not commented on the report.

The website said the meeting included Syrian national security bureau chief Ali Mamlouk, presidential palace security aide Bassam Hassan, Israel’s former Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and commander of Russian forces in Syria, Alexander Chayko.

The Syrian officials demanded that their country’s return to the Arab League be “facilitated” and that it receive financial aid to pay debts to Iran. They also called for lifting western sanctions on Damascus.

Israel demanded that Hezbollah, Iran and Iranian militias be withdrawn completely from Syria, that a Syrian government that includes opposition figures be formed and that the military be restructured.

The website said that “no specific agreements were reached, but it represented the beginning of Russian efforts” towards a certain objective. More meetings are expected in 2021.



Erdogan Says Türkiye Ready to Help with Ceasefire in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Erdogan Says Türkiye Ready to Help with Ceasefire in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Türkiye was ready to help in any way possible to establish a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, and expressed satisfaction with the ceasefire agreement that has come into effect in Lebanon.

Türkiye, which has fiercely criticized Israel's offensives in Gaza and Lebanon, has previously said it discussed a potential truce in Gaza with Palestinian armed group Hamas and gave the group recommendations on how to proceed with the negotiations.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said the United States would again push for an elusive ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza "with Türkiye, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others".

"We are stating that, as Türkiye, we are ready to provide any contribution for the massacre in Gaza to end and for a lasting ceasefire to be achieved," Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party in parliament.

Asked about Biden's remarks, a Turkish official told Reuters a ceasefire in Lebanon without a truce in Gaza was not enough to achieve regional stability, adding Ankara was ready to help reach a deal in Gaza, just as it had supported previous efforts.

"We are again ready to help achieve a permanent ceasefire and a lasting solution in Gaza," the official said.

While Ankara has repeatedly traded insults with Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war, it has not officially severed ties with it. Unlike Israel and its Western partners, Türkiye does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization and regularly hosts some of its senior members.