Syrian group Ahrar al-Joulan calls for unity in face of strife

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Mar 2025 22:48
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The Syrian Ahrar al-Joulan group condemns the sectarian killings that plagues Syria's coast and declares its opposition to the Israeli occupation of the country's south.

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People participate in a rally in the town of Majdal Shams, close to the Syrian border, demanding the Israeli regime return the occupied Golan Heights to Syria, Friday, February 14, 2025 (AP)

Ahrar al-Joulan, a group representing Syrians from the occupied Syrian Golan, has called on the entire Syrian population to unite behind a national project aimed at building a single, civil state based on justice, equality, and dignity for all citizens, without discrimination or exclusion.

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the group condemned what it described as the "criminal gang" that has taken control of power in Damascus. "Instead of moving in a direction that represents our national aspirations, this gang has demolished the state's national institutions and handed over security, military, judicial, and educational authority to criminals and terrorists from all over the world," the statement read.

Ahrar al-Joulan accused the authorities in Damascus of fueling sectarian divisions and engaging in mass repression, including arbitrary arrests and recent massacres in Syria's coastal region. "This gang will bring nothing but repression, crime, massacres, and sectarian incitement," the statement continued, asserting that such actions are in direct opposition to the Syrian people's aspirations for a state of justice and the rule of law.

The group called for national unity, rejecting all forms of division and emphasizing the need to rally around the project of building a unified civil state. It also urged Syrians to resist foreign conspiracies, particularly those of the Israeli occupation, which it accused of seeking to fragment Syria into warring sectarian enclaves that would ultimately submit to Israeli control.

'More destructive plans to come'

"The ongoing Israeli occupation of additional Syrian land, beyond what was seized in 1967, is merely a prelude to larger, destructive partition plans," the statement warned.

Ahrar al-Joulan further declared that "the criminal gang in Damascus must go," dismissing its rule and all its decisions as illegitimate and a major obstacle to the creation of a civil state.

The statement also urged Syrians to recognize the gravity of the situation, particularly in light of the atrocities occurring in Syria’s coastal areas. "What we are witnessing in the Syrian coast—mass killings, crimes, and desecration of both the living and the dead—is a glimpse of the future that awaits Syria under this extremist religious discourse, which exports only murder, extermination, and the degradation of human dignity," it said.

Concluding its statement, Ahrar al-Joulan called for Syrians to stand as one in a movement of honor and dignity to rid the country of these "criminal gangs" and restore Syria as a beacon of history, civilization, and enlightenment for all humanity.

'Israel' not to allow Syrian military infrastructure in south Syria

An advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday the Israeli regime will not tolerate the establishment of military infrastructure or the presence of armed groups in southern Syria and will take action against any attempts to solidify a foothold in the region.

Dmitri Gendelman stated that the Israeli occupation considers any military presence in southern Syria a direct threat to its security and the operations of the Israeli occupation forces.

"Israel will not tolerate any military infrastructure in southern Syria that may threaten the security of Israeli citizens or the operations of the Israel Defense Forces," Gendelman said on Telegram.

"Israel will not allow the presence of any terrorist groups or armed groups that pose a threat to its citizens in the buffer zone in southern Syria. Any attempts by the forces of the regime or terrorist organizations to gain a foothold there will be thwarted," the advisor added.

Ongoing Israeli escalations

His remarks came a day after Israeli airstrikes targeted military sites in southern Syria, including radars, command centers, and ammunition depots.

Additionally, Gendelman restated the Israeli occupation's "commitment to protecting the Syrian Druze community" from any actions by the Syrian government.

"Israel will not allow any strikes against the Druze community. Anyone who tries it will face our harsh response," he said.

This also comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the full demilitarization of Southern Syria, citing escalating security concerns over the presence of "hostile forces near Israel’s borders," Israel Hayom reported.

On his part, Israel Hayom's diplomatic analyst Ariel Kahana argued that Netanyahu's demand, which focuses on the provinces of Quneitra, Daraa, and al-Suweida, is driven by fears that "internal sectarian tensions and deep-seated hostility toward Israel" could spiral into renewed instability, despite the current fragile calm in Syria.