Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa called for Israel to halt its airstrikes and withdraw from Syrian territory that it occupied after the departure of former President Bashar al-Assad…reports Asian Lite News
Syria’s new leader, Mohammed al-Jolani, who now prefers to go by his birth name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has pledged that the country will not be used as a launchpad for attacks on Israel or any other state.
In an exclusive interview with The Times on Monday, Al-Sharaa called for Israel to halt its airstrikes and withdraw from Syrian territory that it occupied after the departure of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Al-Sharaa explained that Israel’s justification for its presence—concerns over Hezbollah and Iranian militias—was no longer valid.
He emphasised Syria’s commitment to the 1974 ceasefire agreement and expressed readiness to allow UN monitors to return. “We do not want any conflict with Israel or any other state,” he told The Times, urging an end to the airstrikes and Israel’s return to its previous positions.
Al-Sharaa also called for the lifting of Western sanctions imposed during Assad’s regime, arguing that these restrictions were hindering Syria’s recovery and were no longer justified. He stressed that Syria remained strategically important and that sanctions against the country should be lifted now that the previous regime had fallen.
UN welcomes new govt’s commitment
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday that he welcomed Syria Caretaker Government’s commitment to protect civilians, including aid workers.
Guterres also welcomed the agreement to grant full humanitarian access through all border crossings; cut through bureaucracy over permits and visas for humanitarian workers; ensure the continuity of essential government services, including health and education; and engage in genuine and practical dialogue with the wider humanitarian community.
In a statement on Monday, UN Secretary-General said, “As the Syrian people seize the opportunity to build a better future, the international community must rally behind them.”
US wants Syria to succeed
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken during his official visit to the Middle East following the overthrow of the al-Assad regime, affirmed that the US wants Syria to ‘succeed’, the State Department said.
Blinken during his visit from December 11-14 travelled to Turkiye; and Iraq.
“Our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we are prepared to help them do so,” US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said in a press briefing on Monday (local time).
He said that Secy Blinken discussed the principles that call for a “Syrian-led and Syrian-owned” transition which paves the way for an inclusive and representative government.
Miller also emphasised that the rights of everyone including women minorities must be protected,
“The Secretary returned this weekend from his latest trip to the Middle East, where he discussed the principles that he outlined early last week as essential for delivering on the aspirations of the Syrian people after the fall of the brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad,” Miller said.
“Those principles include that the transition process should be Syrian-led and Syrian-owned and produce an inclusive and representative government; that the rights of all Syrians, including women and minorities, should be respected; that humanitarian aid should be able to reach people who need it; that Syria should not be used as a base of- for terrorist groups and should have peaceful relations with its neighbours; and that chemical weapons stockpiles should be secured and safely destroyed,” he added.
The State Department spokesperson further said that the US will continue to engage with actors on the ground in Syria.
“In a joint statement issued after the meeting of foreign ministers that the Secretary attended in Aqaba, Jordan on Saturday, those principles were endorsed by a number of our partners in the region as well as a number of countries in Europe and the European Union. Over the coming days, we will continue to engage with actors on the ground in Syria about the importance of adherence to those principles as well as with our partners in the region and around the world about what they can do to advance those principles as well,” Miller said.
Opposition forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a strong offensive from the northwestern province of Idlib last month.
They reached Damascus in the early hours of December 8 and announced the end of more than 50 years of the al-Assad family’s iron-fist rule over Syria.