Syria's president on Saturday accused Israel of "fighting ghosts" and searching for enemies in the aftermath of the Gaza war, saying Israeli leaders have rejected his yearlong efforts to promote regional peace and stability. President Ahmad al-Sharaa told the Doha Forum that since taking office a year ago, he has sent "positive messages regarding regional peace and stability," but said Israel has dismissed those overtures by "extrapolating" its conflict with Hamas and justifying military actions in the name of security. "We are not concerned in being a country that exports conflict, including to Israel," he said. Al-Sharaa urged Israel to withdraw its forces from Syrian territory and recommit to the 1974 disengagement agreement. He also called on the international community to pressure Israel and expressed hope that ongoing negotiations — which he said include U.S. participation — could meet "reasonable" security needs. Since former Syrian President Bashar Assad was toppled in December 2024, Israel has controlled a 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) slice of southern Syria that had been a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone under the 1974 truce. Israel says it seized the demilitarized area to prevent militants from entering the region after Islamist insurgents ousted Assad. Israeli forces have regularly conducted operations in villages inside and outside the buffer zone, including raids targeting suspected militants. At least 13 people were killed in an Israeli operation last month. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump expressed satisfaction with al-Sharaa's leadership and urged Israel not to "interfere" in Syria's internal affairs. "It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Israel has also carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military sites and pushed for a demilitarized zone south of Damascus. — Agencies
