Speculations Surrounding Swap with Syria Swirl Subsequent to Seniors’ Secret Session

Israel is conducting secret negotiations with Syria over a possible prisoner swap, according to Syrian reports confirmed by Israel on Wednesday. An Israeli citizen in recent days seems to have accidentally crossed the border into Syria, sparking the mini crisis. On Tuesday, Israel’s Security Cabinet was abruptly convened for a top-secret emergency meeting, touching off a flurry of rumors and speculations among pundits and analysts. Due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, Israel’s military quickly placed a censor’s gag on the entire proceedings, banning all media outlets from reporting on the meeting’s substance, a restriction lifted the following day. In recent days, Israel’s prime minister, defense minister and foreign minister all spoke with their counterparts in Russia, which plays a central role in what happens in Syria and has propped up President Bashar Assad’s regime during the ongoing Syrian civil war. Reports said that the leaders requested Moscow’s assistance in a “humanitarian matter.” Initial reports speculated the urgent talks revolved around a potential deal with Syria to return one or more bodies of Israeli soldiers for burial. In 2019, the body of an Israeli soldier who had fallen while fighting Syrian forces in the 1982 Lebanon War was returned through Russian mediation.