Ahmed Al Sharaa: We won’t engage in a conflict with Israel and we aren’t carrying a battle against it

The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al Sham that took power in Syria after the fall of Bashar al Assad on Saturday denounced the incursion of Israeli forces into the south of the country, while stressing that the current situation doesn’t allow for entering into any new conflicts.

Israeli forces entered the buffer zone in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights shortly after Assad fell on December 8.

The United Nations denounced the violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel.

Ahmed al Sharaa (al Julani) said in statements that the Israelis have clearly crossed the lines of engagement in Syria, which threatens an unjustified escalation in the region.

He continued, “the exhausted Syrian situation after years of war and conflicts doesn’t allow for entering into any new conflicts”.

He stressed that the priority at this stage is reconstruction and stability, not being drawn into conflicts that could lead to further destruction.

Al Sharaa pointed out that “we have no hostility towards Iranian society, and what happened is a victory over the dangerous Iranian project in the region”.

Al Sharaa commented on the Russian presence in Syria and the new administration’s position on it, saying, “We could have struck the Russian bases in Syria, but we gave the Russians a chance to reconsider their relationship with the Syrian people”.

He confirmed that his administration is in contact with Western embassies, noting that “we are holding discussions with Britain to restore its representation in Damascus”.

Al Sharaa believed that the state is not supposed to be led according to the mentality of the revolution, and we need a law and institutions”.

Meanwhile, Israel continues its aggression against Syria, by air and land, as it launched several raids during the past hours, in parallel with its continued penetration into the south of the country, towards the capital, Damascus.

The Israeli media reported that Israel dropped 1,800 bombs on more than 500 targets in Syria within a few hours.

Israel has now destroyed Syria’s air defense, and that this means that Israel can freely use Syrian airspace, and turn Syria into a springboard for launching attacks against Iran.

The Israeli army estimated, on Tuesday evening, that between 70 and 80% of the Syrian army’s military capabilities were destroyed in the past hours.