Syria remains committed to a diplomatic solution with Israel despite continued Israeli military activity in Syrian territory, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Tuesday, as US-mediated efforts to ease tensions continue.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, al-Shaibani said Syria was still engaged in negotiations mediated by Washington.

“Despite these challenges, we remain committed to the option of a diplomatic solution and are working hard to achieve it. We are engaged in negotiations mediated by the United States,” he said.

Al-Shaibani said Syrian authorities had recorded 65 Israeli incursions in July and 52 during the first 18 days of August. He also said 147 arrests had been recorded since the beginning of the year, with 49 people still in detention, and referred to house raids in Quneitra province. The figures were presented by the Syrian government and were not independently verified.

Syria's immediate demands include an Israeli withdrawal to positions held before 8 December 2024, a full return to the 1974 disengagement agreement, and what Damascus describes as its sovereign right to rebuild its national armed forces. It also continues to claim sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel has controlled since 1967.

The latest comments come days after Syrian and Israeli officials held high-level talks in Jordan under US mediation. The 23 August meeting focused on reducing Israeli military operations and arrests and reviving negotiations towards a security arrangement, according to Syrian state media and Reuters.

The talks followed an Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in north-western Syria. Israel said the strike was intended to prevent a possible Turkish military presence at the site, while Turkey denied sending a delegation there. Al-Shaibani later described the strike as unjustified and said Damascus had sought to clarify the situation with Israel beforehand.

The Jordan meeting also involved al-Shaibani and Israeli Mossad chief Roman Gofman, according to reports at the time. The two sides have been trying to revive security negotiations after contacts were disrupted following the airbase strike. Reuters reported that Washington has spent more than a year seeking to broker a security agreement between Israel and Syria.

A major obstacle remains Israel's position on its military presence in southern Syria. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said during a visit to troops on 25 August that Israeli forces would not leave Mount Hermon or the security zone while what he described as threats to Israel persisted.

Al-Shaibani on Tuesday described Israeli statements about keeping troops on Mount Hermon as an “explicit declaration to consolidate the occupation”. Israel says its military presence is intended to protect its communities and border from security threats.

Rasmussen's visit to Damascus came as Denmark reopened its embassy in Syria after 14 years and discussed expanding political and economic ties with the Syrian government. Denmark's foreign ministry had announced in January that it would reopen the embassy in 2026.