Syrian president says his country will not get involved in Iran war unless directly attacked, claims that border talks with Israel were on the verge of a breakthrough – until Israel abruptly cut negotiations short.
By World Israel News Staff
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa declared on Tuesday that Syria will remain outside the US-Israeli war with Iran unless it is directly attacked, using a Chatham House appearance in London to present his government as focused on recovery, regional stability and a broader diplomatic reset after years of conflict.
“No one is ready to be involved in war, and we will not be in it, unless we are subject to aggression and we have no diplomatic solution,” al-Sharaa told Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox through an interpreter.
“We had enough war. We paid a large bill. We are not ready for another war experience. Those who have been in war know the value of peace.”
The 43-year-old former jihadi said that his government is focused on economic development and bringing millions of Syrian refugees home following more than a decade of civil war.
“We are trying to support the Syrian economy, reconstruction work, and to receive the refugees who were displaced from Syria, and then transform Syria into an economic location utilizing its strategic geopolitic [sic] location.”
Al-Sharaa also criticized Israel’s behavior towards the new Syrian regime, claiming that the two countries were on the verge of a breakthrough in border talks before Israel dropped out of the negotiations.
“Israel dealt with Syria in a negative way since the moment we arrived at Damascus,” al-Sharaa said. “Bombing locations, incursions and violating the 1974 agreement.”
“We tried dialogue, indirect and direct negotiations, and reached good points, but the Israelis changed their minds at the last minute.”
Last year, senior Israeli and Syrian officials confirmed that the two sides were engaged in talks aimed at reaching a new security deal to replace the 1974 Disengagement of Forces agreement which established a demilitarized zone along the border.
The talks were confined to a limited security deal, though the Trump administration has reportedly expressed optimism that such an agreement could ultimately lead to full normalization between the two countries under the auspices of the Abraham Accords.