Syria new rulers say Israel’s advances unacceptable

The Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader made the comments on Friday as Israel continued to deepen its control of territory in southern Syria.

“We do not want war with Israel or any country. We told Israel to stop, and if it continues, we will apply pressure,” Sharaa said.

“There is no excuse for occupation.”

Syria’s Golan Heights region has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war and has built settlements across the territory in violation of international law.

Since the HTS-led assault that toppled President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December, Israel has rapidly expanded its control across more Syrian territory for what it claims are security reasons.

On the same day Assad fell, Israel deployed its troops across the 1974 UN-established armistice line and into the buffer zone patrolled by the United Nations.

Since assuming power in Syria, HTS has been keen not to antagonise Israel, which has carried out hundreds of air strikes on military sites and infrastructure across the country since Assad’s departure.

However Sharaa, whose family originates from the Golan Heights, has been critical of Israel’s aggression on the country when asked.

In his comments, Sharaa also criticised the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG), stating they “alone” had not responded to their call to restrict weapons to the authorities.

He added the group was “exploiting” the ongoing fighting against the Islamic State group “to serve their own interests.”