Israel’s Foreign Minister urges Europe to stop legitimizing Syria’s transitional authorities after recent violence has led to the deaths of over 1,000 civilians and fighters. He accuses the international community of mistakenly supporting a regime with a terrorist background and calls for a critical reassessment of their engagement in Syria.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, has expressed concern regarding Europe’s handling of the situation in Syria following numerous civilian casualties during recent clashes. In an interview with Germany’s Bild newspaper, he emphasized that Europe must not continue to legitimize Syria’s transitional authorities, stating, “Europe must not fail in reading the reality. It must wake up. It must stop granting legitimacy to a regime whose first actions… are these atrocities.”
Clashes erupted along the Mediterranean coast between Syria’s new security forces and loyalists of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government, leading to mass killings and marking the most severe violence since Assad’s removal. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, fatalities include 745 Alawite civilians, 125 security personnel, and 148 pro-Assad fighters, bringing the total death toll to over 1,000.
Saar criticized the international community, particularly Europe, for engaging with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is associated with the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a faction with Al-Qaeda roots. He noted, “However and his men were jihadists and remain jihadists, even if they now wear suits.” This weekend’s violence revealed the brutality of the new regime, according to Saar.
Despite the ongoing turmoil, the Syrian leadership has appealed for the easing of Western sanctions. The European Union recently loosened certain sanctions on Syria’s energy, transport, and banking sectors to aid in reconstruction efforts. In the meantime, Israel continues to maintain military operations in the Golan Heights region, including airstrikes against Syrian military installations.
In summary, Israel’s Foreign Minister has urgently called on Europe to reassess its perception of Syria’s transitional authorities following significant civilian casualties in recent violence. By emphasizing the terrorist background of Syria’s new leadership and the necessity for a critical stance from the international community, he argues that continued engagement could lead to more atrocities. The recent easing of sanctions by the EU amidst this crisis adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Original Source: www.hindustantimes.com
