Syrian leader accuses Israel of fighting 'ghosts' after Gaza war

Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, accused Israel of fighting "ghosts" and seeking enemies after the end of the war in Gaza. Speaking at the Doha Forum on Saturday, Al-Sharaa stated that Israel rejected his proposals for regional peace, instead "extrapolating" its conflict with Hamas militants and justifying aggression in the name of security. This was reported by UNN.

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Al-Sharaa, who came to power a year ago after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, assured that Syria is not a country that exports conflict. He called on Israel to withdraw its troops from Syria and confirm adherence to the 1974 armistice agreement.

We are not concerned that we are a country that exports conflict, particularly to Israel 

– he said.

Currently, Israel controls part of southern Syria – a buffer zone previously patrolled by the UN. Israel claims to have seized this 400-square-kilometer demilitarized zone as a preventive measure to prevent the infiltration of militants after Assad's overthrow. Israeli forces regularly conduct operations in this zone, including raids against suspected militants, which resulted in the killing of at least 13 people last month.

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Al-Sharaa called on the international community to pressure Israel to achieve a formula that would satisfy "reasonable" security demands. He confirmed that negotiations involving the United States are ongoing.

In early December, President Donald Trump expressed satisfaction with the actions of Al-Sharaa's group and called on Israel "not to interfere" in Syria's affairs.

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