Al-Shara: We Do Not Fear War with Israel but We Chose to Protect the Homeland

SadaNews - Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shara said in a speech early Thursday following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement in Suwayda that Israel sought to undermine the ceasefire, were it not for American, Arab, and Turkish mediation.

Al-Shara added in his speech, "The Israeli entity has sought since the fall of the former regime to turn our land into a land of conflict and to dismantle our people," affirming that "there is no place for the ambitions of others in our land and we will restore Syria's stature and we must prioritize national interests."

Regarding the Israeli bombardment that targeted Damascus and other areas in Syria on Wednesday, the Syrian President said, "We were between the choice of war with Israel or making way for Druze elders to agree, and we chose to protect the homeland."

In this context, he stated, "We are not afraid of war, but we put the people's interest above chaos, and our best choice was to protect the unity of the homeland. The Syrian state intervened with all its institutions to stop what was happening in Suwayda from internal fighting and successfully restored security."

Regarding the agreement with Druze elders, Al-Shara said, "We decided to assign some local factions and Druze elders to restore security, and our Druze community is an essential part of the fabric of the homeland, and their protection is a priority for us."

He emphasized that "the Syrians throughout their long history have rejected all forms of division, and we are the children of this land and the most capable of overcoming the Israeli entity's attempts to tear us apart. Syria is not a testing ground for foreign conspiracies and the ambitions of others, and building a new Syria requires us to pivot around our country."

Israel - which has announced it will "not abandon" the Druze and called for their protection - launched a series of airstrikes on sites in Suwayda and Damascus on Wednesday, targeting the General Staff building, the Ministry of Defense, and the vicinity of the presidential palace. Israeli Minister of Defense Yisrael Katz announced that the messages of warning to Damascus were over and threatened what he called "painful strikes."