Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani held a rare meeting with Israeli officials in Paris on August 20, 2025, to discuss de-escalating tensions and restoring the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel. The talks involved Israeli Foreign Minister Ron Dermer, the Israeli Prime Minister’s top aide Ron Dermer, and U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack. Discussions centered on creating a buffer zone in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and addressing stability in southern Syria, particularly in the Suweida province, which has a significant Druze minority. On August 8, over 400 representatives from Syria’s minority communities, including Kurds, Druze, Alawites, and Christians, convened in Hasaka under a banner of unity amid tensions in Suweida. Subsequently, a Syrian religious leader publicly called for the establishment of a separate Druze region within Syria, a demand that has been noted in regional media.