Biden Officials Urge Israel to Make Nice with Syrian Rebel Leader; Netanyahu Skeptical

Biden-Harris administration officials have warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his ties to terrorist and Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Shara, who until last week had a $10 million bounty on his head. They are reportedly requesting that it be developed.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is reportedly unconvinced.

era of israel reported:

According to a Channel 12 report, senior American officials urged Israeli officials to foster ties with Syria's new leader.

“Cooperation and communication channels with al-Julani will strengthen Israel's influence throughout the region,” the report quotes a US official as saying. “We are talking about pragmatic leaders who want to develop strategic relationships with regional countries.”

Israel is listening to the US side, but it also suspects that al-Julani is siding with the US and the international community and trying to stabilize his rule without truly changing his position. are.

Mr. Sharaa nom de guerreMuhammad al-Jawlani or Abu Muhammad al-Golani refers specifically to the Golan Heights, a plateau that Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, but Israel has no intention of returning to Syria.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, but also warned that his replacement could pose “grave dangers.” He said Israel wants good relations with its neighbors but would respond to any threat with force.

Israel has destroyed Syria's military equipment and chemical weapons capabilities to prevent rebels from using them or exporting them to terrorists in other regions.