Syrian and Israeli officials meet in Baku: sources say

A SYRIAN and an Israeli official met face to face in Baku at the weekend on the sidelines of a visit to Azerbaijan by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a diplomatic source in Damascus said.

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The meeting marked a major step for the two countries which have been foes for decades, and comes after Israel initially cold-shouldered Sharaa’s administration as jihadist because of his past links to Al-Qaeda.

“A meeting took place between a Syrian official and an Israeli official on the sidelines of Sharaa’s visit to Baku,” the source said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Israel is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan and has a significant diplomatic presence in the Caucasus nation which neighbours its arch foe Iran.