Israel yesterday criticized the Syrian government over what it described as attacks against the Kurdish community in Aleppo, just days after the two sides agreed to establish a joint mechanism aimed at lowering bilateral tensions.
“Attacks by the Syrian regime’s forces against the Kurdish minority in the city of Aleppo are grave and dangerous... Systematic and murderous repression of Syria’s various minorities contradicts the promises of a ‘new Syria,’” Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar wrote in Arabic on X.
Deadly clashes erupted this week between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters as the two sides have so far failed to implement a March deal to merge the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria’s new government.
Photo: AFP
The Kurds are pushing for decentralized rule, an idea that Syria’s new authorities have rejected.
Despite assurances from Damascus that all of Syria’s communities would be protected, minorities remain wary of their future under the new authorities.
Saar said that the violence in Aleppo could increase if the international community remains silent.
“The international community in general, and the West in particular, owes a debt of honor to the Kurds who fought bravely and successfully against the Islamic State group,” Saar said.
Earlier this week, Israel and Syria, under US pressure, agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism, an unprecedented step as the two countries edge toward a security agreement after decades of hostilities.
Following discussions in Paris, Israel and Syria agreed to establish “a dedicated communication cell” under US supervision that would seek to lower bilateral tensions.
US President Donald Trump, who met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington in November last year, has been pushing for a security deal between Syria and Israel, but Israel remains distrustful of the former jihadist.
After the overthrow of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights, and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria as well as regular incursions.
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