Syria's leader says his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to avert an escalation

PARIS (AP) — Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Wednesday that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent recent hostilities from getting out of control. He spoke on his first visit to Europe since taking office in January, and as he seeks to broaden ties to Western countries.

Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on parts of Syria last week, saying it aims to protect the country’s Druze minority coming under attack by pro-government gunmen.

Speaking to reporters in Paris, al-Sharaa said, ″Regarding negotiations with Israel, there are indirect talks through mediators to calm down the situation so that they don’t go out of control.″ He did not say who the mediators are.

His visit to Paris comes amid renewed sectarian bloodshed in Syria, where al-Sharaa took power after his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led an offensive that toppled former President Bashar Assad in December. Assad, a member of Syria's Alawite minority, ruled for more than two decades.

The visit comes a week after clashes between forces loyal to al-Sharaa and fighters from the minority Druze sect that left nearly 100 people dead. This followed earlier violence in Syria's coastal region between Sunni gunmen and members of the minority Alawite sect, which left more than 1,000 people dead, many of them Alawite civilians killed in revenge attacks.

Religious minorities in Syria, including Alawites, Christians and Druze, fear persecution under the predominantly Sunni Muslim-led government. Al-Sharaa has repeatedly pledged that all Syrians will be treated equally regardless of religion or ethnicity.

The 14-year conflict has killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Syria’s infrastructure lies in ruins, and international sanctions remain a major barrier to reconstruction.

The visit to Paris is being closely watched as a potential test of Europe’s willingness to engage with Syria’s new leadership.

The European Union has begun easing sanctions, suspending measures targeting Syria's oil, gas and electricity sectors, as well as transport, including aviation, and banking restrictions.

In late April, the British government announced it was lifting sanctions on a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and state-run media outlets.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government led by al-Sharaa, and HTS remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad remain in place. However, Washington eased some restrictions in January when the U.S. Treasury issued a general license, valid for six months, authorizing certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transfers.