In his long journey from young al-Qaeda fighter 20 years ago to rebel commander who believes in sectarian tolerance, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani has plans to tweak his story. There was plenty of time.
It is no surprise that the Islamic rebels chose Damascus’s venerated Umayyad Mosque to make their statement. It’s not a TV studio or the newly defunct presidential palace, but a towering site of religious significance, at 1,300 years old and one of the oldest mosques in the world. message.
It is to all those who brought him to power and who drove his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters across Syria with alarming speed to oust President Bashar al-Assad. It was a message.
Addressing the newly freed Syrians, he said: “Brothers, this victory came through the suffering of those who endured imprisonment.” In a country where the God you choose and how you pray determines your class, limits your aspirations, and can put you at odds with your neighbors, Jolani is sending a very clear signal at the Umayyad Mosque. I sent you. He is a Sunni Muslim, part of Syria’s majority. Assad was an Alawite. There are Christians, Druze, Shiite Muslims, and Ismailis.
But the words he chose seemed intended to break down those old boundaries. “Brothers, this new victory marks a new chapter in the region’s history, a dangerous one that has made Syria a playground for Iranian ambitions, spreading sectarianism and fueling corruption,” he said.
To Iran: He sent a clear message to the theocracy in Tehran – their interference is over, their easy land access to Lebanon’s giant proxy Hezbollah is over, and their support for Syria’s Hezbollah is over. , and the hometown they once lived in is also gone. Iran’s weapons stockpile.
To the United States and Israel: This is a message Jolani knows is being heard in Tel Aviv and Washington, where he is a member of a proscribed terrorist organization with a $10 million bounty on his head. It is believed that. “In the new Syria, your interests are understood,” he said. An understanding on his part that these are the forces that can defeat him.
Jolani’s message was also tailored to the local forces he needs to continue working with, pledging to clean up the store. “Syria is being cleansed,” he said, referring to the country’s regional reputation as a narco-state, adding that Assad’s Syria has become “the world’s major source of amphetamine drug Captagon.” He said crime is occurring through the area.
