Syrian rebel leader and the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Golani, said on Saturday that the new government in Syria is not interested in entering into a conflict with Israel.

Golani made his first public comments about Israel’s airstrikes in Syria in an interview with the opposition TV channel Syria.tv.

“The situation in Syria, worn out from years of fighting, does not allow for new conflicts,” he said. “The priorities are construction and stability, not getting dragged into new conflicts that will lead to further destruction.”

He referred to Israel’s actions in Syrian territory as “reckless military adventures” and called for diplomatic intervention to stop Israel’s actions in Syrian territory, stating that Israel’s concerns “do not justify the recent violations of sovereignty in Syria.” He described Israel’s actions as “a threat of escalation in the region.”

He clarified: “We are not entering into conflict with Israel. Israel uses the Iranian presence as an excuse to invade Syria. After the Iranians leave, there are no excuses for foreign intervention in Syria.”

Golani added that the goal is to establish an orderly government in Syria, “to move from a revolutionary mentality to that of a state.”

He stressed that although the “revolutionary movement” ended the influence of the Russians and Iranians on Syrian soil, he does not view the Iranian people as enemies, only the Iranian regime, which he said “destroyed Syria.”

He added that the rebels have decided to avoid provoking Russia and will give it a chances to reassess relations with them.

Golani also indicated that the new government would implement a morality police force that will operate under the Ministry of Interior and be overseen by religious leaders and preachers.

The role of the morality police would be to ensure that the public adheres to Islamic law, and in doing so, it would prioritize the approach of “da’wah” – meaning preaching and education, not through coercion, as the forceful method reflects the regime’s inability to persuade through Sharia (Islamic law).

However, al-Shara emphasized that the new regime would not hesitate to use force against those who would try to prevent it from enforcing Sharia laws by force, asserting that “jihad is binding regarding this matter.”

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)