Doha, Qatar – Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of heightening regional tensions and fabricating external threats to divert attention from the “horrifying massacres” it has committed in Gaza.Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Saturday during the Newsmaker Interview at the Doha Forum, al-Sharaa said Israeli leaders “often exports crises to other countries” as they increasingly invoke security pretexts to expand military action.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“They justify everything, using their security concerns, and they take October 7 and extrapolate it to everything that is happening around them,” he said.“Israel has become a country that is in a fight against ghosts.”Since the the Bashar al-Assad regime fell in December 2024, Israel has carried out frequent air strikes across Syria, killing hundreds of people, while also conducting ground operations in the south.Last month, Israeli forces killed at least 13 people in the Damascus countryside town of Beit Jinn.In addition, it has advanced deeper into Syrian territory and established numerous checkpoints, while illegally detaining Syrian citizens and holding them inside Israel. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, right, speaks during the opening day of the Doha Forum [AFP]Al-Sharaa said his administration had worked to de-escalate tensions with Israel since he assumed office, emphasising that “we sent positive messages regarding regional peace and stability”.“We’ve said very frankly that Syria will be a country of stability, and we are not concerned with being a country that exports conflict, including to Israel,” he said. Advertisement “However, in return, Israel has met us with extreme violence, and Syria …
