President Al-Sharaa, alongside Foreign Minister AsaadhshaBani, Defense Minister Murhaf_Abuqasra, and Intel Chief Hussein Salama, met with USammburkiye and CENTCOM Commander Vadm Cooper in Damascus this morning, October 7th, 2025, prior to SDF talks. Sources indicate that Al-Sharaa and SDF Chief Mazloum Abdi are on the verge of signing a US-brokered deal for Deir ez Zor, described as a "win win for all." The meeting, which took place before the SDF talks began, involved key Syrian government officials and US military leadership. The impending deal for Deir ez Zor follows discussions that reportedly began in January regarding joint administration and revenue sharing in Arab-majority areas, though details were scarce after March 10th. This development is occurring amidst ongoing high-level talks in Damascus involving the ANNES delegation, the Syrian transitional government, and US Special Envoy Tom Barrack, which previously led to a comprehensive ceasefire in North and Northeast Syria. This news emerges as other areas experience conflict; Aleppo is reportedly seeing clashes between Turkish-supported armed Sunni groups and Kurds, while the government has restricted access to border crossings with Tabqa. The Kurdish National Council (KNC) also previously criticized the Syrian presidency's decision to ban Newroz celebrations, prioritizing Mother's Day, a domestic cultural point of contention amidst the broader political discussions.
