Syrian Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Ahmad al-Sharaa, the new leader in Damascus, in his interview on Saturday, appeared to indirectly respond to Israeli concerns and provide reassurance
al-Sharaa said,
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”Syria is exhausted by years of civil war and that at this stage it will not be dragged into conflicts that may lead to further destruction, with reconstruction and stability the main priorities”
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“the Iranian entrenchment in Syria had posed a great danger to Syria itself, to neighboring countries and the Gulf”
“We were able to end the Iranian presence in Syria but we are not enemies of the Iranian people”
Over the course of a wide-ranging interview, al-Sharaa mentioned some of the issues that his new government will soon need to address in managing post-war Syria
al-Sharaa stressed the importance of abandoning the “revolutionary mentality” that propelled the rebels and the need to establish modern institutions, guarantee the rule of law and respect the rights of all Syrians
al-Sharaa delivered a scathing critique of the corrupt Assad regime, saying,
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it managed Syria like a “farm” extracting and appropriating its resources to enrich itself”
adding,
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”in the upcoming period, documents will be published to prove the extent of the regime’s “enormous theft”
al-Sharaa highlighted
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”the lightning victory of the rebels over the regime, toppled in just 11 days, proved the effectiveness of their planning and training” With a lot of help! from Israel....
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“The rebels “took control of large cities without anyone being displaced”
