Syria not a threat to world, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa tells BBC in an interview with Jeremy Bowen 19 December 2024

The de facto leader of Syria, has said the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the West.
He said HTS was not a terrorist group.

Sharaa denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan. He said,
1. the countries were very different, with different traditions.
2. Afghanistan was a tribal society. In Syria, he said, there was a different mindset.

Sharaa was relaxed throughout the interview, wearing civilian clothes, and tried to offer reassurance to all those who believe his group has not broken with its extremist past. Many Syrians do not believe him.

The actions of Syria's new rulers in the next few months will indicate the kind of country they want Syria to be - and the way they want to rule it.

From: The Times of Israel January 5, 2025
Though HTS leaders celebrated the devastating Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023 the new [jihadist leader to rebel politician] Syrian leadership stresses that it is not interested in a fight with Israel.

“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.