Security, Troops Withdrawal Top Syria-Türkiye 'Normalization' Talks

 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (Russian Defense Ministry/AFP)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (Russian Defense Ministry/AFP)
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Security, Troops Withdrawal Top Syria-Türkiye 'Normalization' Talks

 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (Russian Defense Ministry/AFP)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (Russian Defense Ministry/AFP)

The Defense Ministers of Russia, Syria, Türkiye and Iran held a new round of consultations in Moscow on Tuesday, which focused on security and military presence near the border areas in northern Syria.

The results of the closed-door meeting constituted preparations for holding upcoming talks at the level of foreign ministers, which is expected to take place on May 2, a Russian diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that the meeting discussed ways to intensify efforts to return the Syrian refugees to their homeland.

Syrian Al-Watan newspaper quoted an unnamed source as saying that the statement published by the Turkish Ministry of Defense, which highlighted concrete steps related to normalization of ties between Türkiye and Syria, was false, stressing that the meeting discussed the mechanism for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory, and did not address any normalization steps.

Moscow deliberately kept secret the details of the “military and security” meeting, abstaining from announcing details in advance. The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a brief press statement, stressing “the positive spirit that prevailed during the discussions.”

“Practical steps were discussed in the field of strengthening security in the Syrian Arab Republic and normalizing Syrian-Turkish relations,” the statement read.

This is the second meeting at the same level after the defense ministers and heads of the security services in Syria, Türkiye and Russia held previous talks at the end of 2022, which laid the basis for moving towards the normalization of Syrian-Turkish relations under Russian auspices. Iran, which reportedly objected to its absence from the first round of consultations, joined the talks later.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a well-informed Russian diplomat described the meeting as “very serious and positive”. He noted that the talks “are focusing on issues that require more coordination, especially in areas related to security and anti-terrorism, which have been given priority because they are linked to the protection of national security of both Syria and Türkiye.”

In Ankara, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the meeting discussed “concrete steps” that could be taken to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus, and means to intensify efforts to return Syrian refugees to their lands.

The statement added that the meeting also touched on ways to combat terrorist organizations and extremist groups on Syrian soil, and to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity.

Ankara preempted the meeting by affirming that it would not withdraw its forces from northern Syria, without ruling out, at the same time, a meeting between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar al-Assad, “according to a special road map, and without preconditions.”

However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated, in a televised interview on Monday night, that his country’s forces would not withdraw from northern Syria and northern Iraq at the present time, saying: “Our withdrawal from northern Syria and northern Iraq means ending our military operations against terrorism…This poses a threat to our national security.”



US Confirms Death of American in West Bank in Israeli Settler Attack

Women inspect the site of a burnt house and torched vehicles following a spree of violent rampage by Israeli settlers overnight that left one dead Palestinian American, a burnt house and several torched vehicles in three Palestinian towns, in the West Bank town of Silwad, east of Ramallah Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
Women inspect the site of a burnt house and torched vehicles following a spree of violent rampage by Israeli settlers overnight that left one dead Palestinian American, a burnt house and several torched vehicles in three Palestinian towns, in the West Bank town of Silwad, east of Ramallah Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
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US Confirms Death of American in West Bank in Israeli Settler Attack

Women inspect the site of a burnt house and torched vehicles following a spree of violent rampage by Israeli settlers overnight that left one dead Palestinian American, a burnt house and several torched vehicles in three Palestinian towns, in the West Bank town of Silwad, east of Ramallah Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
Women inspect the site of a burnt house and torched vehicles following a spree of violent rampage by Israeli settlers overnight that left one dead Palestinian American, a burnt house and several torched vehicles in three Palestinian towns, in the West Bank town of Silwad, east of Ramallah Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)

The US State Department on Sunday confirmed an American citizen had died this week in the West Bank, with family and Palestinian officials attributing his death to arson by Israeli settlers.

The Palestinian Authority and witnesses reported on Thursday that Israeli settlers had set fire to homes and cars in the West Bank village of Silwad, the latest attack in the occupied territory.

Khamis Ayyad, 41, died from smoke inhalation due to the fires, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Speaking Friday at a press conference in Chicago, Ayyad's family said he had moved to the West Bank several years ago with his wife and children, but continued to work for an American company.

He is at least the second American citizen killed in West Bank settler violence in July, after a 20-year-old man was beaten to death while visiting family in the town of Sinjil.

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, demanded Israel investigate that killing, calling it a "criminal and terrorist act," but has yet to comment on the death of Ayyad.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said "several suspects... set fire to property and vehicles in the Silwad area," but forces dispatched to the scene were unable to identify them.

It added that Israeli police had launched an investigation.

Asked for comment on the latest death, a State Department spokesperson said "we can confirm the death of a US citizen in the town of Silwad in the West Bank," without naming Ayyad.

"We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank," the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.

The West Bank is home to some three million Palestinians, who live alongside about 500,000 Israeli settlers.

Violence in the territory has surged throughout the Gaza war triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.