Sharaa vows to hold accountable those involved in coastal incidents, accuses Assad loyalists and a foreign force of being behind attacks

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the events that took place on the Syrian coast two days ago pose a threat to his efforts to reunite the war-torn country, and vowed to punish those responsible even if they are "the people closest" to him.

In an interview with Reuters, Al-Sharaa held groups loyal to the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, supported by foreigners, responsible for igniting the bloody events that took place in the Sahel region, but he acknowledged that revenge killings occurred in the aftermath.

The president said, "Syria, we have confirmed that it is a state of law. The law will take its course for everyone."

He added, "We basically came out to confront this regime, and we only arrived in Damascus to support the oppressed people. We do not accept that a drop of blood be shed here unjustly, or that this blood be shed in vain without accountability or punishment."

In a wide-ranging interview, Sharaa also said his government had not had any contact with the United States since President Donald Trump took office. He reiterated his call for Washington to lift sanctions imposed on his country under Assad.

The Syrian president also raised the possibility of restoring relations with Moscow, which has supported Assad throughout the war and is trying to retain two important military bases in the country.

Sharaa rejected criticism of Israel, which has seized territory in southern Syria since Assad was ousted, and said he was seeking to resolve differences with the Kurds, including by meeting the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has long been backed by Washington.

repressed grievances

Al-Sharaa blamed a former military unit loyal to Assad's brother and foreign powers for the outbreak of violence in recent days, but he acknowledged that "many parties entered the Syrian coast and many violations occurred."

Al-Sharaa said that Moscow and Damascus agreed to review all previous agreements between the two parties, but there is not enough time yet to go into details.

He added, "We do not want there to be a rift between Syria and Russia, and we do not want the Russian presence in Syria to pose a danger or threat to any country in the world, and we want to maintain these deep strategic relations."

Al-Sharaa pointed out that relations with Moscow are extremely important, and said, "We were tolerating the bombing and not targeting them directly in order to make room after the liberation for there to be sessions and dialogue between us and them."

The Syrian president refused to confirm whether he had asked Moscow to hand over Assad.

Russia has been an ally of Syria for decades, and a major supplier of fuel and grain.

Reuters reported last week that Moscow had sent a tanker loaded with diesel to Syria despite US sanctions.

North and South

Damascus has not yet extended its control and authority over the northeastern part of the country, where Kurdish forces are in control, amid talks with Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the US-backed SDF, who said that the recent violence in the country justifies their fears of the idea of their integration with government forces, as he put it.

The Syrian president said he wanted a negotiated solution and that he would meet Abdi.

The government's control is also weak in the south of the country, where Israel has entered and declared a no-go zone, threatening to target Syrian forces if they are found there.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz had sharply criticized Sharaa, describing him as a "jihadi terrorist of the Al-Qaeda school who is determined to commit horrific acts against civilians."

The Syrian president dismissed the increasingly hostile Israeli threats, describing Katz's comments as "empty talk."

"They are the last to talk," Sharaa said, referring to Israel's killing of tens of thousands in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon over the past 18 months.

Source: Reuters