Jihadists surrounding al-Sharaa haven’t abandoned extreme vision
Meir Ben Shabbat: The events in Syria provided the whole world with an opportunity to see again what Jolani’s [Ahmed al-Sharaa] ‘base’ looks like. This does not mean that Israel should give up on the possibility of political arrangements while exploiting Jolani’s current weakness, but it requires calibrating expectations and ensuring that we do not give up on other interests just for the chance of an agreement.
Israel’s intervention had been a strategic necessity to secure its border.
The takeover of this region by extremist Sunni elements could allow the establishment of hostile elements and jihadist terrorists near the border and across the entire southern Syrian Golan. Israel’s intervention was intended to send a clear message: there will be no change in the balance of power in the southern Syria region without Israel’s consent, nor will there be a deployment of capabilities that could threaten Israel within a distance determined by it (in other words: defining a demilitarized zone).
Published in JNS, July 22, 2025.