Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 23, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 23, 2024
US said urging Israel to nurture ties with new Syrian leader; Israel listening but unconvinced
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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
Senior American officials have urged their Israeli counterparts to nurture ties with Syria’s new leader, Channel 12 reports.
“Cooperation and communication channels of yours with al-Julani will bolster Israel’s influence in the entire area,” the report quotes US officials saying. “We are talking about a pragmatic leader who wants to develop strategic relations with the nations of the region.”
Israel is listening to what the Americans are saying, but also suspects that al-Julani is playing the US and international community, and trying to stabilize his control, but has not truly changed his spots.
The US, nonetheless, believes cooperation could help ensure that Iran does not return to Syria, the report says.
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