UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – The organization’s military leader also called for an end to Israeli incursions and strikes, and said he was determined to extend his authority to Kurdish areas.
Iran will not immediately reopen its embassy in Syria, while Western chancelleries are stepping up efforts to establish contact with the new Islamist power. Le Figaro takes stock of the situation this Tuesday, December 17.
Islamist group HTC calls on the West to remove it from the list of “terrorist organizations”
The military leader of the radical group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC), leading the coalition that seized power in Syria, announced to AFP on Tuesday that “the next step” would be the dissolution of armed groups, starting with its own, to merge them within the future military institution.
In an interview given in the coastal city of Latakia, Mourhaf Abou Qasra, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, also affirmed that the new power wanted to extend its authority over the Kurdish areas of the northeast of Syria and that “refused federalism”.
The Islamist group HTC also called on the West to remove it from the list of “terrorist organizations”.
Washington announces an extension of the truce between pro-Kurdish forces and pro-Turkish groups
The United States announced on Tuesday the extension of the truce, under the aegis of Washington, between the Kurdish-dominated forces which control large regions of northeastern Syria, and the pro-Turkish groups in Manbij, a majority area Arab.
The truce, which had expired, “is extended until the end of the week and we will seek to ensure that this ceasefire lasts as long as possible”Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, told the press.
Israel says Netanyahu held security meeting on Syrian summit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security meeting in Syria on Tuesday, at the summit of Mount Hermon, on the borders of the Golan annexed by Israel, his office and the Minister of Defense said.
Mr. Netanyahu “held an assessment of the situation on the Hermon Ridge today”indicates a press release from his office. Israel Katz, Minister of Defense, indicated for his part that he had visited with Mr. Netanyahu “at the top of Mount Hermon, for the first time” since the Israeli army was deployed there, in the wake of the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The tricolor flag hoisted over the French embassy in Damascus
A French delegation led by the special envoy for Syria Jean-François Guillaume arrived on Tuesday, December 17 in Damascus and visited the premises of the embassy, noted AFP journalists.
“France is preparing to stand alongside the Syrians” during the transition period, Jean-François Guillaume told journalists on Tuesday, shortly after his arrival in Damascus. The tricolor flag was raised Tuesday morning over the embassy, closed since 2012, according to an AFP journalist. The French delegation indicated that it had come for a “contacting the de facto authorities” in Damascus.
Initially cautious, Western chancelleries have taken steps to establish contact with the new Islamist power in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The European Union announced the sending of a representative to Damascus and London also sent an official delegation there.
Israeli Deputy Minister Calls Joulani a “Wolf in Lamb’s Clothing”
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel called Tuesday a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” the new strongman of Syria, Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, because of his jihadist past. Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem, Haskel showed several photos of the leader of the radical Sunni group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC) from his days as a member of jihadist organizations.
“It is important to avoid succumbing to the temptation to whitewash jihadist groups in Syria. We know who they are and their true nature, even if they change their names, and we understand how dangerous they are to the West,”said Ms. Haskel. “They are terrorist organizations and [Joulani] is a wolf in sheep’s clothing”she added.
Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, who now calls himself by his real name, Ahmad al-Chareh, and appears in civilian clothes in front of foreign delegations, fought for Al-Qaeda in Iraq after the American invasion of 2003. He then created Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, the Al-Nusra Front, which was allied for a time with the Islamic State group, before transforming under its leadership into Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC).
Paris asks the new Syrian power to continue the fight against Daesh
The team of French diplomats who visited Damascus on Tuesday asked the new transitional authorities to “continue the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups”the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
France has indicated that it will “attentive to ensuring that collective security interests are guaranteed”Who “go through the continuation of the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups, and the prevention of the dissemination of the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons”added the ministry. French diplomats further emphasized that “France would determine its commitment in Syria based on these criteria” notably.
The EU is “ready” to reopen its embassy in Damascus
The European Union is “ready” to reopen its embassy in Damascus, the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas announced on Tuesday, a little over a week after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
“We are ready to reopen our delegation, which is the European embassy, and we want it to be fully operational again”declared Kaja Kallas in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “We cannot leave a void in Syria. The EU must be present”she added on X, specifying that the block had already started, “with caution”a dialogue with the new power in Syria and with civil society.
The UN “advises against” a mass return of refugees for the moment
The director general of the UN migration agency, Amy Pope, “not recommended” Tuesday a massive return of Syrian refugees to their country as long as the situation there is not stabilized, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. “People have the right to return home (..) but we are not advising large-scale returns”infrastructure “could not support such an influx”Amy Pope, who heads the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told AFP during a visit to Lebanon.
The UN estimated Tuesday that one million Syrian refugees could return to the country between January and June 2025, following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. “We now expect (…) to see around a million Syrians return between January and June of next year”declared Rema Jamous Imseis, director of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the Middle East and North Africa, during a press briefing in Geneva.
Members of religious minorities have fled fearing “potential threats”, UN says
The UN migration agency (IOM) said on Tuesday that members of Syria’s numerous religious minorities had fled the country for fear of “potential threats”after the seizure of power by a coalition of armed groups led by Islamists.
“Tens of thousands” people have fled Syria, and “we hear that religious minorities are leaving the country”declared to AFP the director of the IOM Amy Pope, stressing that members of the Shiite community were fleeing “because they are worried about potential threats”in a predominantly Sunni country.
