Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, should not be judged by photos or statements but by what he “actually does on the ground,” in reference to al-Sharaa’s recent visit to Washington and his meetings with US officials.

In an interview with Australian journalist Erin Molan on her program “THE ERIN MOLAN SHOW” on Thursday, 13 November, Netanyahu asked, “Will Syria become a safe country? Will he get rid of the jihadists in his army? And will he cooperate with me to achieve a demilitarized zone in southwestern Syria adjacent to the Golan Heights?”

Netanyahu said that the safety of the Druze in the area is one of his priorities, adding that the “abuse and massacres” suffered by Syrian Druze are as horrific as the “7 October massacre” carried out by Hamas in Gaza.

“I have acted to protect our Druze brothers, and I want to reach an arrangement that guarantees demilitarization in southwestern Syria and provides lasting protection for the Druze minority there,” he said.

The Israeli army carried out three raids on the General Staff headquarters building in Damascus on 16 July, in response to the Syrian army’s intervention to end the conflict in Suwayda (southern Syria) between Suwayda factions and tribal groups.

On how much he trusts the Syrian side, Netanyahu cited a phrase used by former US President Ronald Reagan in dealing with the Soviet Union, “Trust, but verify,” and added, “As for me, I say, trust, do not trust, but verify.”

Al-Sharaa: Hard to speak of demilitarization in southern Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said it is difficult to accept Israel’s condition of a completely demilitarized zone in southern Syria, asking, “If any chaos occurs, who will protect the area?”

In an interview with the American newspaper The Washington Post, the details of which were published on 12 November, al-Sharaa added that if such a demilitarized zone were used by some parties as a launchpad to strike Israel, “who would be responsible for that?”

“Ultimately, this is Syrian territory, and Syria must be free to deal with its land,” al-Sharaa said.

He added that Israel occupied the Golan Heights to protect its security and is now imposing its conditions in southern Syria to protect the Golan. “So, after a few years, it may control central Syria to protect its south, they will reach Munich this way,” as he put it.

He noted that Syria entered into war with Israel 50 years ago, then in 1974 the “disengagement” agreement was signed and lasted for 50 years, but with the fall of the Assad regime Israel canceled this agreement.

Al-Sharaa said Israel expanded its presence in Syria, expelled the UN peacekeeping mission, and occupied new territory.

“They have carried out more than one thousand airstrikes in Syria since 8 December 2024, including bombing the presidential palace and the Ministry of Defense, but because we want to rebuild Syria, we did not respond to these assaults,” he added.

According to al-Sharaa, the advances Israel has made in Syria were not driven by security concerns but by expansionist ambitions. He argued that Israel has long claimed to be worried about Syria because of the threats posed by Iranian militias and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, whereas the new authorities have expelled those forces from Syria.

Negotiations are difficult but ongoing

President al-Sharaa said that the ongoing negotiations with Israel are “difficult but continuing,” noting that they are taking place with support from the United States and several other international parties.

He explained that any future agreement will require Israel to withdraw to the positions its forces held before the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on 8 December 2024, saying, “I believe the United States is the only country in the world capable of restraining Israel’s behavior.”