A JIHADIST TERRORIST OF THE AL-QAEDA SCHOOL

Katz calls new Syria president an al-Qaeda terrorist after reports Alawites executed

Harsh statement comes as rights group says government affiliated forces executed at least 90 Alawites as they move to crush a nascent insurgency by Assad loyalists

 

The times of Iseael

Mar 7, 2025

 

Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa switched his fatigues for a suit, but according to the Israel defense minister, he is a jihadist terrorist of the al-Qaeda school 

 

Defense Minister Israel Katz hit out at Syria’s Islamist rulers on Friday as they move to crush a nascent insurgency by fighters from ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect, calling the country’s new president an al-Qaeda terrorist.

“[Abu Mohammed] al-Julani switched his robe for a suit and presented a moderate face,” Katz said in a statement, using the nom de guerre of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. “Now he’s taken off the mask and exposed his true face: A jihadist terrorist of the al-Qaeda school who is committing horrifying acts against a civilian population.”

“Israel will defend itself against any threat from Syria,” Katz added, while vowing the military would continue to occupy a buffer zone along the border and keep working to keep southern Syria demilitarized.

His comments came as Syrian security forces battled for a second day on Friday to crush a nascent insurgency by fighters from Assad’s Alawite sect, with scores reported killed as the Islamist-led government faced the biggest challenge yet to its authority.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that more than 185 people had been killed in two days of violence in the coastal region of western Syria, which is heavily populated by the members of the Alawite minority. It said that nearly 100 were “executed.”

“Ninety Alawite civilians, at least six of them women, were executed by the security forces in the districts of Baniyas, Latakia and Jableh,” the Britain-based group said.

They included at least two dozen male residents of the Alawite town of Al Mukhtareyah killed by gunmen on Friday, the Observatory and two Alawite activists said, citing contacts in the region and video footage from the scene.

Syrian authorities said the violence began when remnants loyal to ousted leader Assad launched a deadly and well-planned attack on their forces on Thursday.

The violence has shaken al-Sharaa’s efforts to consolidate control as his administration struggles to get US sanctions lifted and grapples with wider security challenges, notably in the southwest, where Israel has said it will prevent Damascus from deploying forces.

Syrians took to the streets to rally in support of the government in Damascus and other cities, while Saudi Arabia and Turkey, both allies of the government, also signaled their backing.

Russia, which was a major backer of Assad but has sought to build ties with the new government, said it was alarmed by a deterioration in the security situation and called on all “respected” leaders of the country to stop the bloodshed.

Images from Al Mukhtareyah showed at least 20 men lying in close proximity — some bloodied – -by the side of a road in the town center. Reuters was able to verify the location in the video, but not when it was filmed or by whom.

Alawite activists, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the killings were on Friday and blamed them on gunmen affiliated with the Islamist ruling authorities.

A government spokesperson and two officials linked to the ruling authority did not respond to requests for comment.

A prominent Alawite cleric, Sheikh Shabaan Mansour, 86, was killed on Friday with his son in the village of Sahlab in western Syria. Residents accused fighters aligned with Damascus of killing him, according to two Alawites. Reuters could not verify the claims.

Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a security source, said “individual violations” had been perpetrated after unorganized crowds had headed to the coastal region following the attacks on government security personnel.

“We are working to stop these violations,” the source said.

The violence spiraled on Thursday when the authorities said groups of Assad-aligned militias targeted security patrols and checkpoints in the Jableh area and surrounding countryside, before spreading more widely.

Curfews were declared on Friday in the coastal cities of Tartous and Latakia, SANA said. Security forces mounted combing operations in both cities and nearby mountains.

Alawite activists say their community has been subjected to violence and attacks, particularly in rural Homs and Latakia, since Assad was overthrown in December after decades of repressive family rule and civil war.

While Sharaa has pledged to run Syria in an inclusive way, no meetings have been declared between him and senior Alawite figures, in contrast to members of other minority groups.

The Assad-led government recruited heavily from the Alawite community for the security apparatus and bureaucracy of the Syrian state.

While Sharaa has brought much of Sunni Muslim majority Syria under the sway of Damascus, important areas remain outside its grasp, including the northeast and east, which are controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

“The chaos and paroxysm of killings will undermine the confidence of both foreign states and Syrians in his government and its ability to steer Syria out of this difficult phase,” said Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

A group of Alawite clerics, the Alawite Islamic Council, blamed the violence on the government, saying fighters had been sent to the coast “with the pretext of [combating] ‘regime remnants’, to terrorize and kill Syrians.” It called for the region to be put under UN protection.

Saudi Arabia condemned “crimes being undertaken by outlaw groups” in Syria and their targeting of security forces.

Turkey, a close ally of Syria’s new government, also stated its support for Damascus, saying “the tension in and around Latakia, as well as the targeting of security forces, could undermine the efforts to lead Syria into the future in unity and solidarity.”