Daily Alert Archives

Abu Muhammad al-Jolani's Attitude toward Israel

(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - Senior security officials in Israel describe Abu Muhammad al-Jolani - the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham who overthrew Bashar Assad's regime - as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" - a terrorist who might eventually act against Israel. According to political sources in Jerusalem, the U.S. has recommended that Israel consider opening communication channels with Syria's new regime. Israel's current approach is to "respect and suspect" al-Jolani, maintaining no communication channels with him. To date, al-Jolani has refrained from military action against IDF forces despite the expansion of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights and Israel's massive bombing that destroyed Bashar Assad's weapons arsenal. His responses have been limited to filing official complaints with the UN Security Council. He has not called on Syrians near the Israeli border to oppose IDF operations and has demanded the disarmament of Palestinian factions in Syria. For now, al-Jolani's priority is stabilizing Syria, gaining Arab and international recognition, uniting Syria's diverse ethnic groups under his rule, and lifting sanctions to revive the economy. Confronting Israel does not align with his current goals, particularly as his forces lack heavy weaponry, most of which Israel destroyed to prevent it from falling into his hands.
2025-01-05 00:00:00
Full Article