Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa condemned Israel in a televised speech early Thursday morning, claiming that Israel has sought “to wreak chaos in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime.”

Ignoring the fact that over the past week, his forces carried out Oct. 7-style atrocities on the Druze residents of Sweida, including torture, abductions, rape, and murder, Al-Sharaa claimed that “the Israeli entity seeks to turn our land into an arena of chaos.”

His remarks were made hours after his forces withdrew from the Druze city of Sweida and after a ceasefire went into effect.

Directly addressing the Druze community, he claimed, “The Syrian people are always ready to fight for their honor. We are the sons of this land and are able to overcome Israel’s attempts. We are eager to bring to justice those who have harmed our Druze people. The Druze people are an integral part of the fabric of this nation. Syria will never be a place for division, fragmentation, or sowing discord among its people. We assure you that protecting your rights and freedoms is our top priority, and we reject any effort aimed at dragging you to an external party or creating division within our ranks. We are all partners in this land.”

A-Sharaa accused Israel of “exacerbating the situation with its actions. Since the fall of the regime, Israel has been seeking to dismantle Syria. We have decided to entrust local factions and sheikhs with the responsibility of maintaining security in the province. Syria is not a testing ground for foreign conspiracies. We have chosen not to be drawn into conflicts in order to maintain the security of the country.”

“We, the people of Syria, know very well who is trying to drag us into war and who seeks to divide us. We will not allow them to embroil our people in a war they seek to ignite on our land, a war whose sole purpose is to divide our homeland and bring chaos and destruction. The Syrian state intervened to stop the internal fighting that occurred in Sweida between armed groups, following long-standing conflicts.”

“The state’s efforts to restore stability and expel outlaw factions have succeeded, despite Israeli interventions. Israel has resorted to widespread attacks on civilian and government facilities to undermine these efforts, complicate the situation, and promote widespread escalation. American, Arab, and Turkish mediation saved the region from an uncertain fate,” he concluded.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)