Syria won’t be used as a launchpad for attacks on Israel. Ahmed al-Sharaa (a.k.a. Mohammed al-Jolani), the head of the armed forces that came to power in Damascus, stated this in an interview with The Times newspaper, the latter reports.
According to the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, Israel must withdraw from the western Syrian territories it took under its control during the attack of the opposition forces on Damascus.
“Israel’s justification was the presence of Hezbollah and Iranian militias, so that justification is gone,” al-Sharaa said. “We are committed to the 1974 agreement [on the separation of forces], and we are prepared to return the UN [monitors].”
He added, “We do not want any conflict whether with Israel or anyone else, and we will not let Syria be used as a launchpad for attacks. The Syrian people need a break, and the strikes must end and Israel has to pull back to its previous positions.”