NEW YORK (Dispatches) -- Self-appointed president Abu Muhammad al-Jolani says Syria is “scared of Israel,” signaling that his regime poses no threat to Tel Aviv.
His remarks were made during a Middle East Institute event in New York, coinciding with the ongoing UN General Assembly session that al-Jolani is attending.
“We are not the ones creating problems for Israel. We are scared of Israel, not the other way around,” the former Al-Qaeda leader said.
He also warned of “multiple risks” of partitioning Syria stemming from Israel repeatedly violating Syrian airspace with incursions into its territory.
“Jordan is under pressure, and any discussion of partitioning Syria will hurt Iraq, will hurt Turkey. That will take us all back to square one,” he added.
Syria and Israel are close to striking a “de-escalation” agreement in which Israel will stop its attacks while Syria agrees not to move any machinery or heavy equipment near the border, a senior U.S. envoy said.
According to a U.S. official quoted by the Times of Israel, the agreement is “99 percent complete.”
Al-Jolani has previously downplayed the talks, describing them as negotiations toward a security arrangement rather than a full peace deal.
On September 17, he said the negotiations with Israel could soon produce a security pact.
Reports have also surfaced that al-Jolani might meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the General Assembly session.
Since the fall of the former Syrian government last year, Israel has repeatedly bombarded Syria, establishing a widespread military presence across the south that encircles the capital, Damascus.
During clashes in July between Jolani’s forces and Druze fighters, Israel targeted key sites linked to Damascus—including the presidential palace and Defense Ministry buildings—claiming these strikes were in support of the Druze minority.
Meanwhile, thousands of Druze civilians were massacred by al-Jolani’s forces that same month.
Despite the strong rhetoric from Israeli officials, al-Jolani and other Syrian leaders have consistently emphasized their lack of interest in confrontation with Tel Aviv.
In fact, Syria has intensified its crackdown on Palestinian resistance factions that were previously sheltered by former President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
On August 20, Jolani’s foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Israeli strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer in Paris—the first officially announced meeting between the two sides.
According to Haaretz, the meeting focused on efforts to prevent Hezbollah or Iran from establishing a foothold in southern Syria.
Al-Jolani himself was once deputy to Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before becoming head of the Nusra Front, the official Al-Qaeda branch in Syria.
The Nusra Front was later rebranded as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which took control of Syria in December 2024.
It is well documented that Israel coordinated with the Nusra Front during the early years of the U.S.-backed war on Syria that began in 2011.