Syria’s new president warns Israel’s actions could end up alienating U.S. allies

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says Israel’s military action in the region could be detrimental to the U.S. and may result in its allies turning away from America. 

Al-Sharaa, who has past ties to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, spoke with Margaret Brennan, on assignment in Syria for “60 Minutes,” ahead of his historic address to the United Nations in New York. Al-Sharaa took power after ousting former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad following nearly 14 years of civil war. In December, the U.S. removed a $10 million bounty off al-Sharaa’s head. In July, the U.S. lifted its terrorist designation of the rebel group he led.  

Al-Sharaa said Israel’s recent attack on Hamas leaders who were in Qatar — a close U.S. ally — and its airstrikes on the grounds near Syria’s presidential palace put “the interests of the U.S. and its strategic allies at risk, pushing those allies to consider alternatives to America.” 

“Bombing the presidential palace amounts to nothing less than a declaration of war on Syria,” he told Brennan. “What if the backyard of the White House was bombed? The United States would wage war against whoever targeted the White House backyard for the next 20 years.” 

Syria did not retaliate for those Israeli strikes. The U.S. launched a diplomatic effort led by U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack to help de-escalate tensions.

“There are borders and international standards that must be respected,” he said. “There are international laws, the United Nations and the Security Council that we turn to, to protect those standards. Otherwise, the world would fall into massive chaos.” 

On Wednesday, al-Sharaa became the first Syrian head of state to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in nearly 60 years. In his speech, he spoke of the brutality endured by the Syrian people under the Assad regime and described what he called a “historic opportunity to bring stability, peace, and prosperity to Syria and the entire region.” He also warned of regional instability stemming from Israel’s actions. 

In his nearly 10-minute speech, al-Sharaa told world leaders that Israeli policies and actions “contradict” the international community’s support for Syria. He said Syria is committed to reaching a security agreement with Israel to lower tensions. 

The U.S. has been trying to broker an arrangement between Syria and Israel that is similar to a 1974 ceasefire agreement with the Assad regime. After the collapse of the Assad regime in December, Israel invaded territory in southern Syria and created what it calls a “buffer zone” beyond the lines of the 1974 agreement. Al-Sharaa wants Israel to return any lands seized since the Assad regime fell, and to have U.N. peacekeepers monitor the new agreement. 

An Israeli official declined to comment on al-Sharaa’s remarks but confirmed that negotiations with Syria are continuing. 

Watch more of the interview this season on “60 Minutes.”

This story was reported by Margaret Brennan, Andy Court, Annabelle Hanflig, Omar Omar, and Camilla Schick, and produced for CBS Evening News by Justine Redman.