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Jolani Tells the London Times: Syria Won't Be Used as a Launchpad for Attacks on Israel

(The Times-UK) Samer Al-Atrush - Syria's new leader Mohammed al-Jolani told The Times in an interview that he will not allow the country to be used as a launchpad for attacks against Israel or any other state. Jolani, who now prefers to be known by his birth name Ahmed al-Shara, warned Israel that it must end its airstrikes in Syria and withdraw from territory it took after Bashar al-Assad fled. "Israel's justification was the presence of Hizbullah and Iranian militias, so that justification is gone," he said. "We are committed to the 1974 agreement and we are prepared to return the UN [monitors]," Shara said. "We do not want any conflict whether with Israel or anyone else....The Syrian people need a break, and the strikes must end and Israel has to pull back to its previous positions." His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. and Britain. Shara had a $10 million bounty placed on his head by the U.S. Shara said there would be an amnesty for all Syrians except those with blood on their hands, or who took part in the old regime's torture. He said his main concern was to stabilize the country and rebuild it ahead of any elections, which he called "somewhat far-fetched now." "Half the population is out of the country and many don't have papers," he said. "We need to bring the people back from neighboring countries and Turkey, and Europe."
2024-12-17 00:00:00
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