The leader of the al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is leading Syria following the regime change that ousted Bashar al-Assad, has said Syria would not become a “launchpad” to attack 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,” HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani told The Times in an interview published on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has celebrated and took credit for the HTS takeover of Syria since Assad was a major ally of Iran and Hezbollah. But Israel has also bombed Syria over 800 times and invaded southern Syria, taking over some Syrian territory, including the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria.
Julani, who has been going by his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, called for Israel to withdraw from Syria and respect the 1974 ceasefire agreement that established the buffer zone, which is patrolled by a UN peacekeeping force known as UNDOF.
“We are committed to the 1974 agreement and we are prepared to return the UN [monitors],” Julani said.
The US has been in direct contact with HTS despite the group being a US-designated foreign terrorist organization and Julani having a $10 million bounty on his head. Despite the fact that Julani founded al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, which merged with several other factions to create HTS in 2017, the US has shown its clear preference for him over Assad.
Julani began a rebranding campaign in 2016, claiming his former group, al-Nusra Front, was cutting ties with al-Qaeda. At the time, Julani thanked “commanders of al-Qaeda for having understood the need to break ties.” Since then, he’s been presenting himself as a moderate to gain support from the West.
Am I just stupid or what? It feels like I keep reading conflicting articles whether HTS does want to help Palestine or doesn’t want to get involved in any shenanigans against Israel. Personally, I don’t think they are, most Muslim countries are all talk but no bite. Only people with have absolutely nothing to lose like elements of Hamas, Houthi, etc, are willing to stand up to Israel. I’m just confused what HTS’s “official” stance on this is. “We’re coming to save you, oppressed muslim Palestinians! Sometime soon, uh, I don’t know, inshallah.”
I'd guess HTS needs to stablise their new acquisition before anything else to come. Only when the Democratic Islamic Peoples' Caliphate of Revised Syria LLC (I'm still workshopping the finalised name) is internationally recognized and, more importantly, builds itself a formal army, THEN the Al Qaedenese DNA can reassert itself and antagonise the West & its proxies.
Right now they have to play it meek and submissive while in a position of weakness.
It also possible that they chose not to antagonize the West. They may become the next Jordan and Egypt which see the benefits of good relationships with the West.
In the case of Egypt you mean, “accept perpetual bribes to let America dictate your friends & foreign policy.”
That’d make al-Julani a postmodern “house Al-Q”, a sellout of the highest order.
What you don't understand, most Muslim countries don't care about the Palestinians. Even in 1948 when they attack the new nation of Israel, they didn't put a lot effort into the attacks.
Friendly Reminder Now…Fighting to Take the Old 1974 Buffer Zone Back Later…!?
Translation: I promise to be a good boy. Can I please keep a piece of Syria?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_industry_in_Syria#:~:text=In%20March%202021%2C%20Russian%20company,2%2C250%20square%20kilometres%20(870%20sq
In March 2021, the Russian company, Capital Limited, and the Syrian government represented by the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources signed a contract to grant the Russian company the exclusive rights to explore natural oil and gas in Block 1 in the eastern Mediterranean with an area of 2,250 square kilometers (870 sq mi) off the coast of Tartus to the southern Syrian-Lebanese maritime borders.[46][47]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria#Economy
Proven offshore expeditions have indicated that large sums of oil exist on the Mediterranean Sea floor between Syria and Cyprus.[290]