Officially, Syria has continued to reject normalisation with Israel, citing the ongoing Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, which it illegally annexed during the 1967 war, as well as repeated attacks on the country since the overthrow of Assad.

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel, after a surprise U.S. announcement that it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government.

US President Donald Trump focused on Syria-Israel normalization as a key point during his meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has said that his government is holding indirect talks with Israel to bring an end to Israeli attacks on Syria.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has proposed a further loosening of European sanctions on Syria to allow funding for Syrian ministries in areas including reconstruction and migration, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The United Nations special envoy for Syria has condemned an intense wave of Israeli airstrikes as Israel said its forces were on the ground in Syria to protect the Druze minority sect following days of clashes with Syrian pro-government gunmen.

Israel has used attacks on religious minority by forces loyal to Syria's new government to justify strikes across the border

Israel said it carried out a strike in Syria against "an extremist group" that attacked members of the Druze community, following through on a promise to defend the minority group as deadly sectarian violence spread near Damascus on Wednesday.

During a Saudi Arabia meeting, US President Trump urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel, following a US announcement to lift sanctions on Syria.

P resident Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, May 13, that he plans to end the U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, which have been in place for over 45 years. Announcing the news on the first day of his Middle East tour, during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, Trump said he would be lifting sanctions “in order to give them [Syria] greatness.”