Sa’ar says global leaders must renounce ‘pure evil’ of Sharaa’s Syria

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar calls for international condemnation of the actions of Syria’s new Islamist rulers.

“They were jihadists and remain jihadists, even if some of their leaders have donned suits,” says Sa’ar at a Knesset meeting of his New Hope faction, referring to the new Syrian government led by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“The international community must come to its senses… it must raise its voice against the barbaric murder of civilians, against the pure evil of jihadists,” continues the foreign minister, according to his office.

Sa’ar notes his repeated warnings to world leaders not to trust the new regime, and condemns the reported persecution of minority groups in Syria, including the Alawite and Kurdish communities.

“I warned against the sweet talk of [Sharaa] and his men and cautioned against acts of revenge and violence against the Alawite minority, as well as their intent to dismantle Kurdish autonomy,” he says.

Sa’ar says that “over the weekend, it was proven… that my warnings, unfortunately, were accurate. HTS operatives mercilessly massacred their own people — their own citizens. This does not surprise anyone familiar with their terrorist past.”

World leaders “must stop granting free legitimacy to a regime whose first actions are such atrocities,” says Sa’ar. “It must draw conclusions from what has happened and examine ways to protect minorities in Syria.”

Sa’ar defends the IDF’s continued efforts to demilitarize southern Syria, saying that Israel’s “security operations… both in [southern Syria’s] buffer zone and in destroying weapon systems that could have fallen into the hands of jihadists in Syria — have proven to be correct, important, and far-sighted,” adding that “Israel will not allow the emergence of a security threat on its border with Syria and will take all necessary measures to prevent it.”