Israel’s defense minister calls new Syrian president an ‘al-Qaeda terrorist’ after mass executions

Katz: “Israel will take all necessary steps to defend itself from any threat originating from Syria.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz harshly criticized Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, following the execution of hundreds of civilians loyal to former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

Using the alias of Syria’s current president, Katz took to X to condemn the killings, stating, “Al-Julani exchanged his robe for a suit, presenting himself as moderate. But now, he has removed the mask, revealing his true identity: A jihadist terrorist aligned with al-Qaeda, responsible for horrific acts against innocent civilians.”

“Israel will take all necessary steps to defend itself from any threat originating from Syria,” he added.

Katz vowed that Israel would maintain a military presence in the buffer zone along the border.

“We will remain in the security zones and on Mount Hermon, protecting the communities of the Golan and Galilee. We will ensure that southern Syria remains demilitarized and free of threats, and we will protect the local Druze population – anyone who harms them will face our response,” Katz said.

In the past several days, Syrian government forces crushed a rebellion within Assad’s Alawite sect.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that more than 185 people had been killed — 90 of them Alawites, a sect of Assad loyalists, who were executed by the regime.

The Britain-based group reported, “Ninety Alawite civilians, including at least six women, were executed by security forces in Baniyas, Latakia, and Jableh.”

An Alawite source told Ynet that Syrian regime forces were looting homes, perpetrating violence, and arresting young people.

The source called on Israel to come to the aid of the Alawites, saying, “The Alawites are asking for Netanyahu’s immediate intervention.”

Israel is focused on protecting the Druze community in Syria and in border communities within Israel.

Last week, the Israeli government ordered the IDF to intervene militarily against Syria’s new regime and defend Syrian Druze living outside of Damascus.

“We will not allow the extremist Islamic terror regime in Syria to harm the Druze,” Katz declared. “We have instructed the IDF to prepare and deliver a strong and clear warning: if the regime harms the Druze, it will be harmed by us.”

Ahmed al-SharaaIsrael KatzSyria