Sharaa: Israel exporting conflict to distract from Gaza, sees ghosts everywhere

DOHA — Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa accuses Israel of “exporting crises” to other countries around the region in order to distract from its “horrifying massacres in Gaza.

“Israel… tries to run away from the horrifying massacres committed in Gaza, and it does so by attempting to export crises,” Sharaa says during an onstage interview at the Doha Forum in Qatar.

“Israel has become a country that is in a fight against ghosts,” he claims, claiming Israel’s use of security concerns and preventing another October 7 massacre to justify every action it takes, even though no such correlation exists.

“Since we arrived in Damascus, we sent positive messages regarding regional peace and stability… and that we are not interested in being a country that exports conflict, including to Israel,” Sharaa continues.

“But in return, Israel has met us with extreme violence,” Sharaa says, highlighting the deadly Israeli raid on terrorists in the southern Syrian town of Beit Jinn last month.

“Syria has suffered massive violations of our airspace, and we’ve been victim of over 1000 airstrikes and over 400 incursions,” he says.

Sharaa reiterates his call for Israel to withdraw from the Golan territories in southern Syria that it has occupied since December after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime.

He expresses his support for the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, adding that tampering with it “and seeking other agreements such as a demilitarized zone… could lead us to a dangerous place.”

Sharaa acknowledges “atrocities” that have been committed against minorities in the Sweida region but insists that Syria is a country governed by the rule of law, which will hold those responsible accountable.