December 17, 2024
Israel deputy FM calls Syrian leader ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister has voiced suspicion of the head of the group that led the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad and cast doubt on the extent to which Syria’s new de-facto rulers have abandoned their jihadist beliefs.
“These are terrorist organizations and this is a wolf in [sheep’s] clothes,” said Sharren Haskel of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani.
“It is important to avoid falling for the attempt to whitewash jihadist [groups] in Syria. We know who they are and their true nature, even if they change their names, and we understand how dangerous they are to the West,” she said.
Al-Golani, who has now ditched his nom de guerre in favor of his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, fought for Al-Qaeda in Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion
He later established an Al-Qaeda subsidiary in Syria, the Al-Nusra Front, which was temporarily allied with the so-called Islamic State group.
However, al-Golani later split from and fought against both jihadist groups, eventually rebranding Al-Nusra as the Islamist HTS.
Since taking Damascus earlier this month, al-Golani has denied having plans to impose strict Islamic rule and pledged toleration of religious minorities.
While criticizing Israel’s recent incursion into Syrian territory beyond the annexed Golan Heights as an “unwarranted escalation in the region,” al-Golani also said over the weekend that “Syria’s war-weary condition, after years of conflict and war, does not allow for new confrontations.”
He added: “The priority at this stage is reconstruction and stability, not being drawn into disputes that could lead to further destruction.”
