Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the newly appointed leader of Syria, addressed pressing issues during a conversation at the Doha Forum in Qatar on Saturday. And he was adamant about maintaining the historic 1974 deconfliction agreement with Israel. He continued to be strident, insisting that Syria will not tolerate any other deployments or agreements outside of this buffer zone as hostilities increase.
When, last December, Al-Sharaa’s rebel troops seized the Syrian capital, it caused then President Bashar al-Assad to run for his life. Al-Sharaa, for her part, is looking forward to taking on the challenges of a new four-year term. He’s committed to rebuilding institutions and writing a new constitution for the war-ravaged nation.
The Syrian army has to be there to protect the security of our borders,” said Al-Sharaa. If the Syrian army or Syrian forces aren’t going to be there, who is going to be protecting this buffer zone or this demilitarized zone?
Al-Sharaa condemned Israel’s military escalation in southern Syria, saying it was Israel that was “exporting the crisis,” fighting “phantoms,” and supporting terrorism. He declared that Syrian airspace has been subjected to over 1,000 airstrikes and over 400 incursions in recent years—by all members of the coalition. In response to these ongoing violations, he called on Israel to revert to the pre-December 8, 2024 borders.
“We demand Israel to go back to the pre-December 8 (2024) lines,” – Ahmed Al-Sharaa
Even amid the daily violence, Al-Sharaa is bullish on Syria’s eventual economic revival. He claimed that access to electricity has increased dramatically, with citizens now receiving electricity for 12-14 hours per day.
Before this project, local residents only had access to an hour and a half of electricity per day. Now, we’re living on 12-14 hours per day and we plan to be completely self-sufficient in electricity by the end of this year!
While on his recent visit to Washington, Al-Sharaa had the opportunity to meet with U.S. Congress members. He was especially passionate about calling for the repeal of the Caesar Act, which sanctions Syria. He noted a positive reception from U.S. lawmakers, asserting that “there was a great understanding, and I believe we’re at the 95% point.”
Al-Sharaa emphasized enhancing foreign relations and maintaining economic stability. He further promised to hold accountable those responsible for last month’s wave of major human rights abuses in Syria’s coastal region, where opposition activists reported that hundreds of minority Alawites were killed.
Israeli forces actively ensure their presence is felt in southern Syria. This issue, particularly near key locations such as Mount Hermon, presents immense complications for Al-Sharaa’s government as it seeks to restore law and order.
