Shibani: No immediate agreement with Israel, possible talks with Iran

Speaking in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, Al-Shibani said there could be “possible contacts” with Iran, but stressed that Iran must “acknowledge what it did to the Syrian people during the revolution.”

Al-Shibani said Pakistan had not yet proposed mediating between Damascus and Tehran. He praised Pakistan’s role in mediating between the United States and Iran to help resolve the current crisis.

On relations with Israel, Al-Shibani, who is visiting Pakistan, said it was “far too early” to discuss any strategic agreement with Israel. He stressed that the priority at this stage was to halt Israeli attacks on Syria.

Al-Shibani added that Syria is “a sovereign state,” affirming Damascus’ right to determine its foreign relations and alliances. He said Israel should not dictate Syria’s alliances or partnerships.

Israel had bombed the Abu Al-Duhur airbase in Syria on Tuesday, warning that Damascus had been on the verge of “violating the status quo on security matters with Israel” by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at the airbase.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of “dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria.”

In a warning message posted on X that appeared to be directed at Turkey, Katz said Israel “will not allow any entity to threaten its security.”

Turkey, however, has repeatedly denied that its forces were present at Abu Al-Duhur airport before or during the Israeli attack. Ankara said it would continue supporting the Syrian government “without falling into Benjamin Netanyahu’s trap.”

Al-Shibani also said he had made clear to Israel that there were no plans to establish a Turkish military base at Abu Al-Duhur airbase, adding that the site was being rehabilitated for use by the Syrian air force.

a.k

ANHA