The Syrian outlet Al-Joumhuriya reported that on July 8, al-Jolani met with Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi in Abu Dhabi. Citing a well-informed Syrian source and a regional diplomat, the report described the meeting as a “significant step” in ongoing Syrian-Israeli negotiations and noted it was not their first encounter.

Meanwhile, Syria’s state-run news agency SANA cited officials from the Ministry of Information denying any meetings between President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli representatives.