Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa: These are the conditions for peace with Israel
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa laid out his conditions for a peace agreement with Israel as he attempts to lay out his vision for the country.
Ahmed al-Sharaa gave an interview to the Economist, where he repeated his call for Israel to withdraw from Syrian soil and laid out his conditions for a possible peace deal, according to Kann reporter Roi Kais.
Al-Sharaa, otherwise known as Julani, said that the IDF's presence on the Syrian Golan Heights and in southern Syria in general would create big problems. He also mentioned the Palestinians for the first time, saying that "the expulsion of the Palestinians was a great crime."
When asked whether he is willing to follow in Saudi Arabia's footsteps to seek a normalization agreement with Israel, he said that Syria is interested in peace with everyone, but that a peace agreement with Israel before a withdrawal from the Golan Heights would be premature and would require "broad popular consensus."
The IDF began to cross the border into Syrian territory as the Assad regime tottered and fell. The Israeli Air Force launched hundreds of sorties to destroy any and all weapons systems, bases, or weapons manufacturing sites it could hit, including at least one suspected of housing chemical weapons.
The IDF also moved on the ground to seize weapons and hold outposts to keep watch and see if any terrorist danger was approaching its border with Syria to menace its citizens over the border.
Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both said that the IDF will be staying on the Syrian side of the border for the foreseeable future, at least until the end of 2025, due to the political and military situation in the country.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has repeatedly stressed that the situation in Syria is "unstable" and therefore Israel must remain in the country until things calm down.
He has also repeatedly played down the moderation of the new Syrian regime, saying that the entire leadership was made up of Jihadists and that all the leadership positions were occupied by Jihadists.