Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharen Haskel has called Syria's new de facto leader Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani a "wolf in sheep's clothing" because of his jihadist past, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
During a press conference in Jerusalem today, Haskel showed several photos of the leader of the radical Sunni group "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" from the time he was a member of jihadist organizations.
"It is important not to succumb to the temptation to "whitewash" the jihadist groups in Syria. We know who they are and what they really are, even if they change their name, and we understand how dangerous they are to the West," Haskell said.
She called them "terrorist organizations" and Jawlani was "a wolf in sheep's clothing." Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, who now goes by his real name Ahmed al-Shareh and appears in civilian clothes to foreign delegations, fought for "al-Qaeda" in Iraq after the US invasion in 2003. He then created the "al-Qaeda" branch in Iraq. in Syria, which after some time allied with the "Islamic State" group, before transforming under his leadership into "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham", recalls AFP.
Speaking about the situation with Israel, whose troops have entered the southern part of the country, Ahmed al-Shareh said that "Syria's exhaustion after years of wars does not allow it to enter into new conflicts".
"Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" claims to have broken with jihadism, but remains classified as a "terrorist organization" by several Western capitals, including Washington. During her press conference, Sharen Haskel reiterated that the presence of Israeli troops in Syria outside the part of the Golan Heights occupied and annexed by Israel is "temporary" and necessary for defensive purposes in view of the threats posed by jihadist groups operating near the border.