War: Syria too exhausted to fight Israel – Rebel leader, Al-Sharaa

The leader of the Islamist-led rebels in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has hit out at Israel for violating the 1974 armistice agreement.

Al-Jolani, who now uses his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, led the rebel movement that seized power from President Bashar al-Assad recently.

He criticised Israel for its incursion into southern Syria this week but said that Syria was too exhausted to launch attack against Israel.

Media Talk Africa reports that the United Nations had described as violation of the 1974 armistice agreement after Israeli troops entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights last weekend.

Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a statement on the rebels Telegram channel on Saturday, “The Israelis have clearly crossed the disengagement line in Syria, which threatens a new unjustified escalation in the region.

“The general exhaustion in Syria after years of war and conflict does not allow us to enter new conflicts.”

Israel, which has occupied most of the strategic plateau since 1974, said it acted in self-defence in the face of the political uncertainty in its northeastern neighbour.

Since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad by HTS-led forces on Sunday, Israel has also carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian military assets, according to a war monitor.