Middle East crisis live: Israel ‘crossed lines of engagement’ with military actions inside Syria, de facto leader says

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Turkey announced it had reopened its embassy in Damascus, nearly a week after the Islamist-led rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and 12 years after the Turkish diplomatic mission was closed early in Syria’s civil war.

Turkey has been a major player in Syria’s conflict, holding considerable sway in the north-west, financing armed groups there and maintaining a working relationship with HTS, which spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad.

In a joint statement after the meeting in Jordan, diplomats from the US, Turkey, the EU and Arab countries “affirmed the full support to the Syrian people at this critical point in their history to build a more hopeful, secure and peaceful future”.

They called for a Syrian-led transition to “produce an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government formed through a transparent process”, with respect for human rights.

“Syria finally has the chance to end decades of isolation,” the group said.

Antony Blinken confirms ‘direct’ US contact with Syria’s rebel rulers HTS

Antony Blinken said the US had made “direct contact” with Syria’s victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels as western and Arab states along with Turkey jointly voiced support for a united, peaceful Syria.

The US secretary of state’s comment is despite Washington having designated the HTS rebels as terrorists in 2018.

Blinken and other diplomats held talks on Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, on Saturday. “We’ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken said, without specifying how the contact took place.

Israel ‘crossed lines of engagement’ with military actions inside Syria, de facto leader says

Good morning and welcome to the Middle East crisis live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments throughout the region today.

We start with news that Syria’s de facto leader claims that Israel has “crossed the lines of engagement” over its military actions inside the country.

Israeli troops moved into a demilitarised zone inside the country after the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group seized control last week, saying it did so to ensure border security for Israelis living in the occupied Golan Heights area.

However, HTS leader Ahmad al Sharaa – known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al Jolani – told the Syrian TV website:

The Israelis have clearly crossed the lines of engagement in Syria, which poses a threat of unwarranted escalation in the region.

Syria’s war-weary condition, after years of conflict and war, does not allow for new confrontations.

The priority at this stage is reconstruction and stability, not being drawn into disputes that could lead to further destruction.

He added that diplomatic solutions were the only way to ensure security and stability and that “uncalculated military adventures” were not wanted.

The chief of staff for Israel’s military, Herzi Halevi, said:

We are not interfering in what is happening inside Syria, nor do we intend to govern it.

However, we are unequivocally involved in ensuring the security of Israeli citizens living in communities behind us in the Golan Heights.

In other news:

• Jordan is hosting diplomats from the US, EU, and Turkey and Arab nations to discuss the developing situation in Syria, 24 hours after swathes of the nation’s population celebrated the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad.

• An Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza killed at least seven and wounded 12 others, the civil emergency service in Gaza City said on Saturday.

• The UN’s special envoy urged foreign powers to work to avoid a collapse of vital Syrian institutions on Saturday.

• Gaza’s health ministry is reporting that 44,930 Palestinians have now been killed and 106,624 injured in Israel’s Gaza offensive since 7 October.