From Jihad to Downing Street: Starmer welcomes Syria's president for historic talks

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

56% : In January 2026, Syria and Israel agreed -- following US-mediated talks in Paris -- to establish a joint "dedicated communication cell" for intelligence sharing and military de-escalation, the first formal contact between the two governments in over 25 years.
55% : The meeting also comes at a delicate moment in Syria-Israel relations.
49% : " Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up Starmer "welcomed the Syrian Government's action against Da'esh to date and the progress made on cooperation between the UK and Syria on counter-terrorism," the spokesperson added, and "set out how he hoped to make further progress on the issue of migration, including closer work together on returns, on border security, and on tackling people smuggling networks.
43% : " Al-Sharaa, who rose from al-Qaeda operative and founder of Jabhat al-Nusra to leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) before becoming Syria's president, has publicly committed to avoiding conflict with Israel and reaffirmed Syria's commitment to the 1974 agreement.
42% : When Assad fell, Israel moved swiftly -- striking Syrian military targets and pushing troops into the UN-monitored buffer zone established by the 1974 Yom Kippur War disengagement agreement.

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