Description: Sources within the UAE have confirmed that for the past couple of months diplomatic efforts have been made to mediate indirect talks between Syria and Israel in the midst of aggravated tensions. Syrian President Ahmed al – Sharaa confirmed the suspicions while visiting French President Emmanuel Macron in France and stated that indirect efforts have been made to limit Israel’s warfare campaign in the west parts of the country. The information comes at the pinnacle of tensions between the two countries since the ousting of former President Bashar al – Assad as Israel has repeatedly led aerial bombardment campaigns in Syria under the pretext of protecting the Druze, which are ethnical minority in the country from the HTS – led government forces.
Impact: The UAE continues to insert themselves as a regional diplomatic pioneer building extensive soft – power capital under their portfolio while spearheading mediation efforts. Israel is engaged on multiple battlefronts as it counters Hezbollah in Lebanon, campaigns skirmishes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and leads aerial campaigns in Syria aiming at establishing regional dominance and operational foothold. Syria is in a transformational period of time where the transition has met stiff opposition from the multiple militant groups from varied ethnicities which are forwarding foreign interests. The country has also become the geopolitical centerpiece in the Middle East as intense diplomatic campaigns from France, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been recently launched as countries attempted to establish threads of influence within Syria’s new government. Israel’s ultimate goal is to keep Syria in a perpetual cycle of violence and destabilization in order to keep the country focused on internal crises instead of regional expansion of power.