Syria’s al-Sharaa promises peace and unity in face of Israeli aggression

Doha, Qatar – Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of heightening determination tensions and fabricating outer threats to divert attraction from the “horrifying massacres” it has committed successful Gaza.

Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour connected Saturday during the Newsmaker Interview astatine the Doha Forum, al-Sharaa said Israeli leaders “often exports crises to different countries” arsenic they progressively invoke information pretexts to grow subject action.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Israeli attacks connected Syria: What happened, who did Israel assertion it was after?
• list 2 of 3Trump says Israel indispensable question ‘strong and existent dialogue’ with Syria
• list 3 of 3Israel’s Netanyahu says woody with Syria imaginable but demands buffer zone

“They warrant everything, utilizing their information concerns, and they instrumentality October 7 and extrapolate it to everything that is happening astir them,” helium said.

“Israel has go a state that is successful a combat against ghosts.”

Since the the Bashar al-Assad authorities fell successful December 2024, Israel has carried retired predominant aerial strikes crossed Syria, sidesplitting hundreds of people, portion besides conducting crushed operations successful the south.

Last month, Israeli forces killed astatine slightest 13 radical successful the Damascus countryside municipality of Beit Jinn.

In addition, it has precocious deeper into Syrian territory and established galore checkpoints, portion illegally detaining Syrian citizens and holding them wrong Israel.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, right, speaks during the opening time of the Doha Forum [AFP]

Al-Sharaa said his medication had worked to de-escalate tensions with Israel since helium assumed office, emphasising that “we sent affirmative messages regarding determination bid and stability”.

“We’ve said precise frankly that Syria volition beryllium a state of stability, and we are not acrophobic with being a state that exports conflict, including to Israel,” helium said.

“However, successful return, Israel has met america with utmost violence, and Syria has suffered monolithic violations of our airspace.”

‘Syria attacked by Israel, not the opposite’

Al-Sharaa said Israel indispensable retreat to wherever they were earlier the autumn of al-Assad, and sphere the 1974 Disengagement Accord.

The accord established a ceasefire pursuing the October 1973 Yom Kippur war, creating a United Nations-monitored buffer portion connected the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

“This statement has held connected for implicit 50 years,” al-Sharaa said, cautioning that efforts to regenerate it with caller arrangements, specified arsenic a buffer oregon demilitarised zone, could propulsion the portion “into a superior and unsafe place”.

“Who volition support that zone? Israel often says that they are acrophobic of coming nether onslaught from confederate Syria, truthful who volition beryllium protecting this buffer portion oregon this demilitarised zone, if the Syrian service oregon the Syrian forces are going to beryllium there?” helium asked.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a woody with Syria was wrong reach, but that helium expected Syrian authorities forces to make a demilitarised buffer portion extending from the capital, Damascus, to Jabal al-Sheikh successful the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

“It is Syria that is being attacked by Israel and not the opposite,” helium said. “Therefore, who has much close to assertion a buffer portion and a pullout?”

Unity successful Syria

On the question of unity, al-Sharaa said determination was advancement and ongoing challenges.

“I judge Syria is surviving done its champion days. We are talking astir a state that’s aware, that’s conscious,” helium said, portion stressing that nary state tin execute full “unanimity”.

“This doesn’t hap adjacent successful precocious countries that are surviving done comparative stability.”
According to al-Sharaa, radical successful Syria “simply did not cognize each different well” owed to issues inherited from the al-Assad regime.

“We really resorted to pardoning a ample fig of radical and a ample fig of factions truthful that we tin physique a sustainable, harmless and unafraid aboriginal for the Syrian people,” helium added.

Moreover, helium rejected the conception the uprising against al-Assad was a “Sunni revolution”.

“All the components of Syrian nine were portion of the revolution,” helium said.

“Even the Alawites had to wage the terms of them being utilized by the erstwhile regime. So I bash not hold with the explanation oregon with saying that each the Alawites were supporting the regime. Some of them were surviving successful fear.”

Syria witnessed an outbreak of sectarian unit earlier this year, including successful the coastal areas successful March, wherever hundreds of radical from the Alawite spiritual number were killed, with members of the caller government’s information forces among the perpetrators.

Fighting besides broke retired betwixt authorities forces and their allies with Bedouin tribes successful Suwayda successful July, successful which much than 1,400 people, chiefly civilians, were killed.

“We cognize that determination are immoderate crimes that were perpetrated … this is simply a antagonistic thing,” helium said. “I importune … that we bash not judge what happened. But I accidental that Syria is simply a authorities of law, and the instrumentality rules successful Syria, and the instrumentality is the lone mode to sphere everybody’s rights.”

Many rights groups are acrophobic that women volition beryllium peculiarly astatine hazard nether the caller authorities led by the erstwhile al-Qaeda operative, arsenic al-Sharaa’s Hayat al-Tahrir radical severely restricted women’s freedoms, including nationalist information and formal code, during their regularisation implicit Idlib successful northwest Syria.

On what the relation of women looks similar successful Syria today, al-Sharaa said they were “empowered” nether his rule.

“Their rights are protected and guaranteed, and we perpetually strive to guarantee that women are afloat participating successful our authorities and our parliament arsenic well,” helium added.

“I judge you should not fearfulness for Syrian women, fearfulness for Syrian men,” Sharaa joked.

Elections to beryllium held wrong 5 years

Al-Sharaa stressed that Syria’s way guardant lies successful strengthening institutions alternatively than consolidating idiosyncratic power, and that helium was committed to conducting elections aft the ongoing modulation play ends.

“Syria is not a tribe. Syria is simply a country, a state with affluent ideas … I bash not judge we are acceptable close present to undertake parliamentary elections,” helium said.

Nevertheless, al-Sharaa said parliamentary elections volition instrumentality spot wrong 5 years of erstwhile the impermanent Constitutional Declaration was signed backmost successful March, giving him the mandate to pb Syria done a five-year modulation period.

“The rule of radical choosing their leaders is simply a basal rule … it is adjacent portion of our religion successful Islam,” helium stressed.

“Rulers person to summation the restitution of the bulk of radical successful bid to regularisation properly, truthful this is what we judge in, and I deliberation that this is the suitable way for Syria.”