DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Syria’s interim president on Saturday accused Israel of fighting “ghosts” and hunting for enemies in the aftermath of the war in Gaza.
President Ahmed Salat told an international conference that he had been sending “a positive message about regional peace and stability” since taking power a year ago.
He said Israel rejected his proposal, “extrapolating” its conflict with Hamas militants and justifying what he called aggression in the name of security. He promised that Syria would not do this.
“We are not worried about becoming a country that exports conflict, including to Israel,” he told the Doha forum.
Salad, who was detained by the United States for joining al-Qaeda in Iraq, called on Israel to withdraw its troops from Iraq and recommit to the 1974 armistice. He called on the international community to put pressure on Israel and expressed hope that a solution could be reached that would meet “reasonable” security requirements.
“There are ongoing negotiations and the United States is participating in those negotiations,” he said.
Since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel has controlled a sliver of southern Syria that was once a UN-patrolled buffer zone under a 1974 disengagement agreement.
Israel said it preemptively occupied a 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarized buffer zone in southern Syria to prevent militants from entering the area after Islamist rebels overthrew Assad.
Israeli forces frequently carry out operations in villages and towns in and around the region, including raids to capture alleged militant suspects. Last month, Israel killed at least 13 people in an operation targeting suspected militants.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he was pleased with Salad’s performance and urged Israel not to “meddle” in Syria.
“It is very important that Israel maintains a strong and genuine dialogue with Syria and that nothing interferes with Syria’s development into a prosperous nation,” Trump wrote on his “Truth Society” platform.
Israel has also launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military sites and pushed for the creation of a demilitarized zone south of Damascus.