Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani instructed NCS Israeli strikes on Syria after the fall of the Assad regime “stunned” his nation making discussions about normalization “difficult.”
In an unique interview with NCS’s Fareed Zakaria on the Council on Foreign Relations, aired Sunday, al-Shibani criticized Israel for having “obstructed” the Syrian authorities when it confronted a surge in sectarian violence within the south.
The Syrian minister vowed {that a} “strong and unified Syria would be good for regional security, and that will benefit Israel.”
The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship – a serious ally of Israel’s arch-foe Iran – final December prompted a military response from Israel, which launched airstrikes at navy targets throughout Syria and deployed floor troops each into and past a demilitarized buffer zone for the primary time in 50 years.
Israel stated the strikes had been, partially, to forestall chemical weapons shares and long-range missiles from falling “into the hands of extremists.”
But Syrian individuals had been “stunned” by the assaults, al-Shibani stated, significantly because the “militias of Iran or Hezbollah, all of these militias left with the late regime.”
“We are no threat to anyone in the region, including Israel, but these new policies of cooperation and peace were met by these threats and strikes,” al-Shibani stated, responding to a query about the potential of normalization between Syria and Israel following the navy motion.
“So, to talk about normalization and the Abraham Accords is a bit difficult,” he stated, referring to the sequence of landmark agreements that established ties between Israel and three Arab nations in 2020.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Sunday that the Abraham Accords have been “remarkably resilient and strong” amid the conflict in Gaza.
“I think you’ll see that not only are the Abraham Accords not endangered, they’ll be expanded to other countries,” Netanyahu instructed Fox News.
Despite the tensions, Israel says talks have been happening with Syria that would result in a safety settlement.
Sectarian violence has flared in Syria for the reason that fall of the Assad regime. In March, tons of of individuals had been killed throughout a crackdown on the Alawite sect – to which Assad belonged – within the western metropolis of Latakia, and in April, clashes broke out between pro-government armed forces and Druze militias.
Further clashes erupted in July when Syrian authorities forces intervened following assaults between the Druze and native Bedouin tribes. That, in flip, triggered Israeli airstrikes, with Israel citing a dedication to guard the Druze.
Asked what precisely Israel did throughout its intervention, Al-Shibani stated: “It supported outlaws – outlaw groups – and this obstructed and hindered the Syrian government from solving the problem between the Bedouins and the Druze.”
“What Israel did just complicates matters and made the Druze in a very difficult and embarrassing situation,” he added.
In the interview, Al-Shibani stated the Syrian individuals welcomed strikes by the United States to elevate punishing sanctions on the nation, which had been imposed “on the late regime.”
“The position of the United States, vis a vis Syria, since the day of liberation, is a very positive position, and it actually was met by great support among Syrian people, including the lifting of sanctions,” he stated.
Earlier this week, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa made his United Nations debut, calling for the entire lifting of sanctions in opposition to his nation “so that they no longer shackle the Syrian people.”
“We’ve suffered injustice and deprivation and oppression,” Al-Sharaa, a former jihadist, instructed diplomats in recounting the rule and fall of the Assad regime. “Then we rose in claiming our dignity.”
NCS’s Mick Krever, Max Saltman, Mostafa Salem, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Hira Humayun contributed to this report.