Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi has acknowledged that Jerusalem is holding “direct, daily dialogue at all levels” with the Syrian government, marking the first time a senior Israeli official has publicly confirmed such contacts since the fall of the Assad regime late last year. Hanegbi told a closed session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that he is personally leading the talks, which involve additional channels run by the Mossad, the Foreign Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces. According to the adviser, the discussions cover political, security and strategic issues and are aimed at exploring a wider regional realignment. Hanegbi named Syria and neighbouring Lebanon as potential candidates to join the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, the series of normalisation agreements Israel has concluded with several Arab states since 2020. Damascus has not formally commented on the substance of Hanegbi’s remarks. Syrian state media did, however, deny separate reports that President Ahmed al-Sharaa met the Israeli adviser in Abu Dhabi on 7 July, saying no session with Israeli officials had taken place and describing the claims as “untrue”. Israeli news outlets likewise reported that Hanegbi was accompanying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington at the time, reinforcing the denial. Despite the conflicting reports on the alleged Abu Dhabi meeting, Hanegbi’s disclosure points to an unprecedented, multi-channel engagement between two countries that have technically remained at war for more than five decades. Any breakthrough would hinge on sensitive issues such as Israel’s continued presence in parts of the Golan Heights and Syria’s demand for reconstruction assistance, but the acknowledgment alone signals a potentially significant shift in Middle-East diplomacy.