Ahmad al-Sharaa, known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, leader of the Syrian rebels, has pledged to uphold the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, signed after the Yom Kippur War. During a meeting with a small group of journalists on Monday, he called on the international community to “ensure that Israel also remains committed” to the agreement. Al-Jolani strongly criticized Israel's “military advance” into Syrian territory, beyond the Golan and into the buffer zone established by the UN. While Israel justifies its presence as a defensive measure, the rebel leader says these precautions are no longer necessary: ”With the fall of the Assad regime, the threat of Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militias has been eliminated.”
“Syria's priority now must be state building and the creation of public institutions that serve all Syrians,” said the rebel leader, who is considering running for president if he gains support sufficient. He urged several countries, including the United States, to remove his organization “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” from the list of terrorist organizations, arguing that all restrictions should be lifted “so that Syria can rebuild itself.”
Al-Jolani also called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on the Assad regime, stressing that they targeted “the executioner”, referring to Bashar al-Assad, “who is no longer here”. Regarding his designation as a “terrorist” by the United States and other countries, he said: “It's not very important to me.” On Sunday, al-Jolani met with UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen to discuss the political transition. In a statement released on Telegram, he “underlined the importance of effective and rapid cooperation for the reconstruction of Syria, the development of its economy and the maintenance of its territorial integrity.”
