BEIRUT/AMMAN, May 7 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has set up a backchannel for talks between Israel and Syria, three people familiar with the matter said, as Syria's new rulers seek regional help to manage an increasingly hostile relationship with their southern neighbour.

Under Ahmad al-Sharaa's direction, Syria’s new Islamist leaders are systematically sidelining Palestinian factions, favoring the US-backed PA, dismantling Iran-linked groups, and reshaping refugee dynamics in alignment with a broader US-backed strategy to neutralize the Palestinian resistance.

Israel continued its attacks on Syria this weekend, sending more troops into the Quneitra Governorate near the occupied Golan Heights and also launching multiple airstrikes against military sites in central Syria, including a military airport in Tadmur.

Visiting position on Syrian side of Mount Hermon, Katz vows Israel will not allow ‘hostile forces’ to gain a foothold in area, or be dependent on others for security in area

Trump’s intention to pull thousands of US troops from Syria 'will raise significant concerns in Tel Aviv,' Israel's official public broadcasting Kan reports

Concerns about Israel’s newfound hostility toward Syria’s new Islamist government, run by al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) grew substantially today after an Israeli drone attacked a military convoy belonging to the new government in the southern Quneitra Governorate. Three people were killed, two soldiers and a civilian.

Since October 7, 2023, the US has provided Israel with more than $22 billion in military aid, Israel Hayom reported Wednesday, citing data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The occupied Syrian Golan Heights' Mount Hermon was one of the first prizes Israel seized after the fall of Syria's government and army

THIS is the dramatic moment a colossal explosion erupted in Syria, marking the "heaviest strikes" to hit the region in over a decade - and even registering on the Richter scale.

Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel for almost 60 years, will remain part of Israel “for eternity”, amid growing criticism of an Israeli takeover of a previously demilitarised buffer zone in Syrian-controlled territory.

The collapse of the Assad regime has prompted a punishing military response from Israel, which has launched airstrikes at military targets across Syria and deployed ground troops both into and beyond a demilitarized buffer zone for the first time in 50 years.

TEL AVIV—Israel targeted Syria’s naval and other military assets overnight as part of its campaign to destroy weapons left behind by the country’s military following the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad.

The US State Department said on Monday that Israel was acting in self-defence when its military invaded Syrian territory beyond the demilitarised buffer zone, following the removal of the Bashar al-Assad government by rebel groups.

The US spent billions over years arming and training militants in Syria, many linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The extremist “rebels” who took over the country told the Israeli media they “love Israel”.

IDF takes control of buffer zone along border, including Syrian side of Mount Hermon, said to bomb missile research facilities, and chemical weapons stores around Damascus

The last two days have witnessed more Israeli airstrikes carried out on Syria, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday issuing rare direct confirmation that it targeted Hezbollah weapons depots in the al-Qusayr area in western Syria, close to the border with Lebanon.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Sunday it has carried out a ground raid into Syria, seizing a Syrian citizen involved in Iranian networks. It was the first time in the current war that Israel announced its troops operated in Syrian territory.

Israeli airstrikes hit targets near the Syrian city of Aleppo early Monday morning, resulting in heavy casualties.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) acknowledged on Thursday that its forces killed a civilian in a May 2023 drone strike in northwest Syria, walking back its initial claim that it killed an al-Qaeda leader.

Israel has been bombing Syria for years, but has failed to stifle Iranian military support for the resistance in Lebanon