HTS Leader al-Sharaa: 'Syria is tired of wars', wants to be part of Arab world

In an interview with 'Asharq Al-Awsat', Ahmed al-Sharaa said that the revolution in Syria ended with Assad's fall and that he did not want it to destabilize the Arab world.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 21, 2024 20:01

Rebel fighters pose as they hold a Syrian opposition flag at the Umayyad Mosque, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria December 9, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/AMR ABDALLAH DALSH)

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said that Syria will not be used to destabilize any other Arab nation in an interview with Arab-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday.

“Syria is tired of wars and being used for others’ agendas," al-Sharaa told Asharq Al-Awsat. "We want to restore trust and rebuild our country as part of the Arab world.”

“We are now focused on state-building," Al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, said. "The revolution ended with the regime's fall, and we will not allow it to spread elsewhere. Syria will not be a platform to threaten or unsettle any Arab or Gulf country."

al-Sharaa became the de-facto leader of Syria after a lightning offensive by HTS rebels pushed former Syrian president Bashar Assad out of the country. Western countries are cautiously opening channels with the HTS-backed interim caretaker government, fearing the rise of the Islamic State in Syria.

Yet, al-Sharaa claims that he has different plans for Syria, pointing to other neighbors, such as Saudi Arabia, as examples of what a new Syria could look like. 

The leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that headed a lightning rebel offensive snatching Damascus from government control, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, address a crowd at the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024. (credit: AREF TAMMAWI/AFP via Getty Images)

Progress for Syria

“We admire the development in Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia’s bold plans and vision, and we aspire to achieve similar progress for Syria," he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “There are many opportunities for cooperation, especially in economic and developmental areas, where we can align our goals.”

Despite previous affiliation with Al-Qaeda, al-Sharaa stated yesterday that he would not allow terrorists to conduct operations within Syrian territory, according to reporting from Reuters. He also stated that the rebels' takeover of Syria set back Iran and pushed the Gulf region towards stability. 

“Today, the Iranian project in the region has been pushed back 40 years, making the Gulf more secure and stable," Asharq Al-Awsat quoted him as saying.

“Syria had become a platform for Iran to control key Arab capitals, spread wars, and destabilize the Gulf with drugs like Captagon,” al-Julani said. “By removing Iranian militias and closing Syria to Iranian influence, we’ve served the region’s interests—achieving what diplomacy and external pressure could not, with minimal losses.”

al-Sharaa said that he was not looking to invade Lebanon and that his country was focusing inward.

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“We are not seeking any form of dominance over Lebanon,” Asharq Al-Awsat reported. “We want a relationship based on mutual respect and exchange, without interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs. We have enough work to do in our own country.”

The HTS chief also outlined his government's plans for seeking justice against those responsible for crimes like the events reported in Sedanaya prison.

“Their names are known, and they must be pursued,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

However, al-Sharaa added that his government was not focused on revenge, noting the brutality of Assad's regime. “We must not approach this with a desire for vengeance." 

He added that the interim government had created a ministry to track the people who are missing, dead or alive. "We’ve broken the barriers, and specialized organizations are now helping with this task," he told Asharq Al-Awsat. This will also assist families with documents like death certificates and inheritance."

He noted that while citizens are incredibly divided over the state of their nation, he hopes to create a country for all Syrians and that he wanted legal advisors to shape this new era of government.

“Syria is diverse, and it's natural for there to be different opinions. This difference is healthy," he said.

“My aim is to reach a broad agreement and build a country where the rule of law helps resolve our differences,”