Al-Sharaa: Syria won't be used as launchpad for attacks on 'Israel'
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Syria's new leader called on "Israel" to halt its airstrikes and withdraw from Syrian territory it occupied following Assad's departure, also asserting that the country will not be used to attack "Israel".
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Ahmad Al-Sharaa addresses a crowd at the Syrian capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024. (AFP)
In an exclusive interview with The Times on Monday, Syria's new leader Mohammed al-Jolani, now preferring to go by his birth name Ahmed al-Sharaa, pledged that he would not allow the country to be used as a launchpad for attacks "against Israel or any other state".
Al-Sharaa called on "Israel" to halt its airstrikes and withdraw from Syrian territory it occupied following Assad's departure.
"Israel's justification was the presence of Hezbollah 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]."
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."
Read more: 'Hiroshima in Tartus': Israeli strikes shake Tartus, martyrs reported
Calls to Lift Sanctions
Sharaa urged the West to lift sanctions imposed during Assad's tenure, arguing that these restrictions hinder Syria's recovery and were no longer justified.
"Countries must now lift this designation. Syria is very important geostrategically. They should lift all restrictions, which were imposed on the flogger and the victim — the flogger is gone now. This issue is not up for negotiation."
HTS, which is an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Syria, remains designated as a terrorist organization by the US, UK, and other countries. According to The Times, Al-Sharaa dismissed the designation, stating, "We did military activities," but called the label "a political designation" that was more applicable to the Assad government.
Al-Sharaa currently has a $10 million bounty on his head from the US, but he said he did not care about his personal designation.
Minority rights and stability
Addressing concerns about HTS's treatment of minorities, including Christians, Druze, and Assad's Alawi sect, Al-Sharaa said he had met with community leaders to reassure them.
He promised amnesty for all Syrians except those who "have blood on their hands", and noted the need to stabilize Syria before elections, acknowledging the immense challenges ahead.
"Half the population is out of the country, and many don't have papers," he said, referencing the millions displaced by the civil war. "We need to bring the people back from neighboring countries and Turkey, and Europe."
Committees will be formed to oversee the transitional period and draft a new constitution, which he acknowledged would take time. "This will be a long process. Any committees will take time."
Read more: New Syrian constitution to be drafted within 6 months: Turkish media
Al-Sharaa downplayed fears that HTS would impose Islamic law in Syria, stating that the country would respect personal freedoms while taking customs into account.
"It will be the natural Syria," he said. "I think Syria will not deeply intrude on personal freedoms."
