MEZIESBLOG

At least six Syrian ships were struck by the Israel Defence Forces in airstrikes yesterday, according to a maritime risk management expert.

Ambrey said it had observed the attacks on the Latakia port, adding video footage showed one naval vessel listing and that five others had been sunk, without any visible damage being done to the port’s infrastructure.

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said earlier that the IDF had destroyed the navy in overnight attacks, and that he had ordered the military to establish a “sterile defence zone” in southern Syria without permanent Israeli presence.

Eyewitness: The HTS leader’s first comments since capturing Syrian capital

By Zein Ja’Far, international editor and Celine al Khaldi, Middle East producer

The leader of the Syrian armed rebel group which swept the Assad regime from five decades of rule has told Sky News that Western nations have nothing to fear from his victory. 

Abu Mohammad al Jolani, who now asks to be called by his birth name Ahmed al Sharaa, told Sky News his group doesn’t seek further conflict and will bring stability back to Syria.

In an impromptu visit to the mosque he used to attend as a youngster in the suburbs of Damascus, he said people were “exhausted” from years of war. 

“Their [Western nations’] fears are unnecessary,” he said.

“Syria will be rebuilt. The fear was from the presence of the regime. The country is moving towards development and reconstruction. It’s going towards stability. People are exhausted from war. So the country isn’t ready for another one and it’s not going to get into another one.”

He was escorted by several armed men and cheered on by dozens of young supporters posing for selfies. 

Inside the Imam al Shafi’i Mosque in the neighbourhood of Mezzeh, he spoke briefly about how Syria had been driven to devastation by the corruption and greed of the Assad family. 

He praised the efforts of his fighters who, he claims, took charge of Syria without any foreign support or interference. 

In a clear reference to previous Russian and Iranian support of the Assad regime he noted that all former ‘colonisers’ had failed to control the country. 

The HTS leader is a former member of Islamic State of Iraq and led al Qaeda’s affiliate group in Syria before severing ties in 2016. 

He is now trying to present himself as a more moderate Islamist leader but his group is designated by the UN, US, UK and other countries as a terrorist organisation.

His group’s rapid sweep across Syria has also aroused fears amongst other minorities in the country including Kurds, Allawites and Christians. 

But he dismissed those concerns: “The source of our fears was from the Iranian militias, Hezbollah and the regime which committed the massacres we are seeing today. So, their removal is the solution for Syria.”