Syrian Revolution

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Syria’s new de-facto leader, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, has urged the United States to exert pressure on Israel to retreat from the buffer zone in Syria, including the Syrian part of Mount Hermon, according to a Friday report by Kan 11.

Despite Julani's reported request, Israeli authorities allegedly stated they had received no formal communication on the matter. A security official informed Kan News that Israel "will not compromise its security."

Earlier on Friday, NPR interviewed Maher Marwan, Damascus' new governor, who emphasized Syria’s desire for peace and its lack of hostility toward Israel or any other nation. Marwan speculated that Israel's actions in the buffer zone might be motivated by "natural caution."

“We harbor no fear of Israel and bear no animosity,” he remarked. “We have no plans to interfere with anything that could undermine Israel’s safety. Our people yearn for coexistence and peace.”

Reports last week suggested that President Joe Biden's administration is moving toward formally recognizing Syria's new government. A source familiar with the negotiations indicated that the announcement could precede President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

Previously, the US had placed a $10 million bounty on Julani due to his leadership in al-Qaeda's Syrian branch. However, a recent American delegation visited Damascus and met with Julani. During their discussion, Julani pledged to stabilize Syria’s political and economic landscape and assured US officials that Christians would be free to observe Christmas without interference from his forces.

In a video published to social media this week, a representative of the new regime in Syria, led by Islamist rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, spoke with Bakhour Chamntoub, the head of the tiny Jewish community that remains in the country, promising “peace and security” and even calling on Syrian Jews abroad to return to Syria.

“Good evening everyone, from Damascus, from the home of the head of the Jewish community in Damascus, Bakhour. Reassure us that you’re alright,” Mohammad Badarieh, the representative of the new regime, said in the video.

“Thank God, all is well,” replied Chamntoub.

In a video published to social media this week, a representative of the new regime in Syria, led by Islamist rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, spoke with Bakhour Chamntoub, the head of the tiny Jewish community that remains in the country, promising “peace and security” and even calling on Syrian Jews abroad to return to Syria.

“Good evening everyone, from Damascus, from the home of the head of the Jewish community in Damascus, Bakhour. Reassure us that you’re alright,” Mohammad Badarieh, the representative of the new regime, said in the video.

“Thank God, all is well,” replied Chamntoub.

Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, has made efforts since the victory to shed his extremist image, and has pledged to protect minorities in the country.

Western governments have begun to gradually open channels with Sharaa and HTS, and are starting to debate whether to remove the group’s terrorist designation. Senior US diplomats who visited Damascus last month said Sharaa came across as pragmatic and that Washington has decided to remove a $10 million bounty on the HTS leader’s head.

In the clip circulating this week, Badarieh, Sharaa’s aide, told Chamntoub, “There’s no more Baath party, there’s no more fear,” referring to the Arab nationalist movement Assad led in Syria. “There’s no more checkpoints, no more secret police. We are in a democratic state,” he added. Chamntoub responded, “Thank God.”

Sharaa said in an interview last week that holding elections in Syria could take up to four years, the first time he had commented on a possible timetable for elections since Assad was ousted. He also said he hoped the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump would lift sanctions on the country.

Syria was once home to one of the world’s largest and oldest Jewish communities. Following anti-Jewish riots and persecution in the wake of Israel’s establishment, however, almost all those Jews fled abroad when given the opportunity, and now only nine Jews live in Syria — almost all of whom are older men and women, according to Chamntoub, who is himself 74.

Referring to the many Jews of Syrian ancestry abroad, Chamntoub acknowledged that “They don’t believe there will be peace, and that they can return home.” But he echoed the promise of the new regime, saying, “You will be safe, there will be peace and quiet, and God willing, you’ll return, everyone to his house, to his neighborhood, and to his people, and everything.”

Badarieh then enthusiastically extended his invitation to “those from all the communities, among them the Jewish community, members of this dear community, members of the religion of Moses: everyone who returns, your house is here, God bless you all.”

At the end of last month, Chamntoub visited the ancient Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in the Damascus suburb of Jobar, which had been closed since the start of the civil war, and which was almost totally destroyed by fighting.

Speaking to Israel’s Kan news earlier this week, Chamntoub said that Badarieh pledged to support the restoration of the synagogue. “He said to me, ‘If you want to restore the Jobar synagogue, I’ll approve it. If you want me to provide you with security for the synagogue, I agree.”

Syrian media reported an Israeli airstrike near Aleppo late Thursday, the latest such attack since the overthrow of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad last month.

According to the Sham FM radio station, the strikes hit a defense facility and a scientific research center near the city of al-Safirah, close to Aleppo.

It was not clear whether the strikes caused any casualties.

A resident of the al-Safirah area told AFP on condition of anonymity: “They hit defense factories, five strikes… The strikes were very strong. It made the ground shake, doors and windows opened — the strongest strikes I ever heard… It turned the night into day.”

If whoever currently leads Syria wants to avoid conflict with Israel, they should talk with Israeli leadership not US leadership. Or else they'll just have to get used to being bombed and having parts of their territory occupied, or dying in battle resisting those things.

Israel is building military bases in the demilitarised buffer zone with Syria, according to satellite images seen by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit.

The images were taken between December 19, 2024, just 11 days after Syria’s deposed President Bashar Al-Assad fled to Moscow, and February 1, 2025. They show six sites constructed in that time inside the buffer zone. Another is being constructed outside the buffer zone and inside Syrian territory.

Sanad also found road construction work on the sites.

New Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that Damascus seeks to normalize ties with Israel, US Congressman Cory Mills told Bloomberg on Thursday after a meeting with him last week in Syria.

Mills said he held talks with Sharaa about the conditions for removing US-imposed economic sanctions, as well as the possibility of peace with Israel, according to the report.

Sharaa told Mills during their meeting that Syria is interested “under the right conditions” in joining the Abraham Accords — the series of normalization agreements that US President Donald Trump’s previous administration negotiated between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

According to Mills, Sharaa is also open to clarifying how he plans to address the presence of foreign fighters still operating in Syria and offer guarantees to Israel, which remains deeply distrustful of the Syrian leader and opposes any easing of sanctions.

Syria’s new Islamist-led leadership has pushed for the US and Europe to fully lift sanctions so the country can kickstart an economy decimated by more than a decade of civil war.

Mills, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, and US Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, both landed in Damascus on Friday to meet Syrian officials, the first visit by American lawmakers to the war-ravaged country since Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power by an Islamist-led rebel offensive in December.

Mills met with Sharaa, who is still under US and UN sanctions for his previous ties to al-Qaeda, on Friday night, during which the two discussed the US sanctions and Iran for some 90 minutes.

Mills told Bloomberg that he will bring Trump a letter from Sharaa, without providing details on its contents, and that he will brief the US president and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz after his trip.

“I am cautiously optimistic and look to maintain open dialogue,” Mills said.

Mills and Stutzman, both members of Trump’s Republican party, toured parts of the Syrian capital destroyed by the war, met with Christian religious leaders, and said they planned to meet other Syrian government ministers.

“There’s an opportunity here – these opportunities come around once in a lifetime,” Stutzman told Reuters. “I don’t want Syria pushed into the arms of China, or back into the arms of Russia and Iran.”

Last month, the US gave Syria a list of conditions to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief – including removing foreign fighters from leadership roles – but the Trump administration has otherwise engaged little with the new rulers.

Stutzman said Syrians in Damascus spoke to him about Israel’s strikes on the country, which have targeted military sites in the south as well as around the capital. Israel has also sent ground troops into a buffer zone in southern Syria and has repeatedly expressed its distrust of Sharaa.

“My hope is that a strong government is established in Syria that is supportive of the people of Syria, and the people of Syria support the government – and that the relationship between Israel and Syria can be a strong relationship. I think that’s possible, honestly, I do,” Stuzman said.

Among the conditions placed by the US to remove its sanctions on Syria is the destruction of any remaining chemical weapons stores and cooperation on counter-terrorism, sources told Reuters last month.

In return for fulfilling all the demands, Washington would provide some sanctions relief, sources said. One specific action would be a two-year extension of an existing exemption for transactions with Syrian governing institutions and possibly the issuance of another exemption.

The US would also issue a statement supporting Syria’s territorial integrity, reported Reuters, adding that Washington did not provide a specific timeline for the conditions to be fulfilled.

Syria’s aims and Israel’s mistrust
In a past interview with The Economist in February, Sharaa explicitly said he doesn’t rule out regional normalization, but noted that accomplishing it with Israel is complex.

When asked if he could establish ties with Israel as part of a broad peace deal in the Middle East, Sharaa said his country “want[s] peace with all parties, but there is great sensitivity regarding the Israeli matter in the region.”

He named the three major wars fought between Israel and Syria, and Israel’s control over the captured Golan Heights since 1967, as complicating issues.

Israel has since annexed the portion of the Golan Heights that it captured in 1967, and the move was recognized by Trump in his last term. However, it has not been recognized by the rest of the international community.

“We entered Damascus only two months ago, and there are many priorities in front of us, so it is too early to discuss such a matter because it requires a wide public opinion. It also requires a lot of procedures and laws in order to discuss it, and to be honest, we have not considered it yet,” Sharaa said at the time.

The report on Sharaa’s desire to join the Abraham Accords is not surprising, said Carmit Valensi, senior researcher on Syria and head of the northern arena program at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).

Al-Sharaa has made several comments in recent months expressing an interest in peace with their [Syria’s] neighbors and saying they have no desire to enter into conflict with Israel,” she told The Times of Israel.

Valensi acknowledged “the restrained and cautious policy” Sharaa has adopted toward Jerusalem, saying how “Despite the IDF’s presence in Syrian territory, despite the intense airstrikes and Israel’s demand to demilitarize southern Syria, [Syrian leaders] have not tried to act against or challenge Israel—in fact, they’ve generally maintained moderate rhetoric toward it.”

A day after the fall of the Assad regime, Israel sent its troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the strategic Golan Heights, where it now maintains a military presence. The IDF has described its presence in southern Syria’s buffer zone as a temporary and defensive measure, though Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that troops will remain deployed in the area “indefinitely.”

Israel has repeatedly declared its mistrust of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist faction headed by Sharaa that toppled Assad and emerged from a group that was affiliated with al-Qaeda until it cut ties in 2016. Israel has also expressed its intention to prevent Syria from falling into the hands of any hostile regime.

Israeli and Turkish delegations met in Azerbaijan earlier this month for Syria deconfliction talks aimed at preventing unwanted incidents as both countries’ militaries operate in the country.

Last month, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rebuked Sharaa and called for international condemnation of the actions of Syria’s new rulers, after reports that over a thousand civilians were massacred in the country’s Alawite heartland.

“They were jihadists and remain jihadists, even if some of their leaders have donned suits,” said Sa’ar, referring to Sharaa.

Trump’s ambitions and the “right conditions”
Trump vowed in March that more countries would be added to the Abraham Accords, speaking to reporters at a cabinet meeting at the White House.

US Vice President JD Vance added that with the return of Trump to the White House, they are being tasked with “building out the Abraham Accords, adding new countries to it,” and that while it’s “early, we’ve made a lot of progress.”

Trump reiterated this on Thursday.

Asked whether he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump responded, “Maybe for the Abraham Accords.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the American leader reiterated his claim that additional countries will normalize relations with Israel through brokering from the US. “We are going to be filling it up very rapidly… A lot of countries want to come into the Abraham Accords,” he said.

“There’s no doubt that it takes a fair amount of courage to make such a statement,” said Valensi about Sharaa’s expression of interest in normalizing ties with Israel.

“Sharaa is already facing serious criticism over the moderation process he’s undergoing, and that criticism is only going to intensify now. The question is the second part of the sentence: what does he consider the ‘right conditions’? That’s what we’ll need to find out.”

“They were jihadists and remain jihadists, even if some of their leaders have donned suits,” said Sa’ar, referring to Sharaa.

Trump’s ambitions and the “right conditions”
Trump vowed in March that more countries would be added to the Abraham Accords, speaking to reporters at a cabinet meeting at the White House.

US Vice President JD Vance added that with the return of Trump to the White House, they are being tasked with “building out the Abraham Accords, adding new countries to it,” and that while it’s “early, we’ve made a lot of progress.”

Trump reiterated this on Thursday.

Asked whether he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump responded, “Maybe for the Abraham Accords.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the American leader reiterated his claim that additional countries will normalize relations with Israel through brokering from the US. “We are going to be filling it up very rapidly… A lot of countries want to come into the Abraham Accords,” he said.

“There’s no doubt that it takes a fair amount of courage to make such a statement,” said Valensi about Sharaa’s expression of interest in normalizing ties with Israel.

“Sharaa is already facing serious criticism over the moderation process he’s undergoing, and that criticism is only going to intensify now. The question is the second part of the sentence: what does he consider the ‘right conditions’? That’s what we’ll need to find out.”

I think it will be easier for [Syria] to move [toward normalization with Israel] if there’s also progress with Saudi Arabia, so the move would be perceived as part of a regional trend,” Valensi continued.

“As for the conditions, they could range from a minimal demand for troop withdrawal and a halt to attacks, to more strategic demands regarding the future of the Golan Heights—an Israeli withdrawal, or at the very least, a declaration of it as a demilitarized zone or under joint control.”

In a sign that Sharaa was moving beyond talk, Palestinian media reported Tuesday that the new Syrian regime arrested Khaled Khaled, in charge of the Syrian arena in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization, and Abu Ali Yasser, responsible for the organization’s executive committee in Syria, though there was no official confirmation from Syrian authorities on the matter.

The new US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, attended a flag-raising ceremony to inaugurate the US ambassador’s residence in Damascus yesterday. The ceremony was important because it shows how the US and Syria are quickly working to improve relations after more than a decade in which there was no US ambassador in Damascus.

Since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, relations between Syria and the US became frayed and basically ended in 2012. Now, a new era is dawning as the Trump administration makes overtures to the leadership in Damascus.

All of this has happened quickly in six months since the Assad regime fell. US President Donald Trump met Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh and then appointed Barrack to be the new envoy to Syria.

Barrack is the US ambassador to Turkey. He traveled to Riyadh and Jordan this week and then went to Damascus.

“Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad al-Shaibani, and US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack inaugurated Thursday the US ambassador’s residence in Damascus,” Syria’s state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. “Minister al-Shaibani attended the ceremony as Mr. Barrack raised the US flag at the residence.”

On Thursday, images posted online showed the Syrian authorities had intercepted a shipment of Grad rockets that may have been sent by Iran and destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is one of many similar weapons shipments and smuggling attempts that the new Syrian government has prevented.

This prevention of smuggling is important for the region. It also means that Hezbollah cannot threaten Syria or Israel. In the past, Hezbollah backed the Assad regime and sent forces to Syria.

Israel and Syria still maintain tense relations
Even though the new Syrian government and Israel likely share interests in opposing Hezbollah, there has been tension between the two countries since the fall of Assad.

Israel carried out numerous bombing raids in Syria, claiming to be striking various threats. Some of the strikes hit military assets of the old regime that had been left around.

Israeli political leaders, however, also bashed Sharaa and accused him of being an extremist. In the wake of Trump’s meeting with Sharaa, it appears Jerusalem has changed its tone and modified its approach.

Also, Israel and Turkey appear to be de-conflicting in Syria. The presence of a US envoy in Syria, and also visits by US members of Congress, make it more sensitive for Israel to be bombing a country that the US wants to help stabilize.

It is one of several examples in which Israel’s political leadership diverges from the policies of the US administration. Israeli leaders made empty threats against Sharaa without first trying to reach out to Damascus and see if the countries could open a new page in ties.

The US has moved forward with those ties, leaving Israel to decide if it wants to change and embrace peaceful outreach to the new Damascus government.

So far, it appears that rumors of contacts between Israel and Syria continue to be downplayed.

The IDF struck weapons depots in the Latakia area of Syria, containing surface-to-surface missiles, the IDF confirmed in a statement on Friday evening.

The IAF also struck surface-to-air missile components.

One civilian was killed in the strike on Latakia, the Syrian state news agency reported.

This comes after news this week that Israel and Syria are in direct contact and have, in recent weeks, held face-to-face meetings aimed at calming tensions and preventing conflict in the border region between the two longtime foes.

US envoy in Syria, believes in better Syria-Israel ties
The United States' newly appointed Syria envoy, Thomas Barrack, said he believed peace between Syria and Israel was achievable. Barrack made his first trip to Damascus on Thursday, praising the Islamist-led government and saying it was ready for dialogue.

"Syria and Israel are a solvable problem. But it starts with a dialogue," Barrack told a small group of journalists in Damascus. "I’d say we need to start with just a non-aggression agreement, talk about boundaries and borders," he said.

Barrack also met with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa on May 24 to "implement President Trump’s bold decision to provide a path for peace and prosperity in Syria,” he wrote on social media.