Ahmed al-Sharaa is slippery, Janus-faced, speaks with a forked tongue, and knows that, as Muhammad himself said, “war is deception.” And therefore, Ahmed al-Sharaa bears close watching as he attempts to sweet-talk the Trump administration, which has been taking al-Sharaa at face value. That is, official Washington seems to believe al-Sharaa’s insistence that he has changed. Even though al-Sharaa still had a $10 million bounty on his head, offered by the American government, until quite recently, for being a member of al-Qaeda, he has traded in his military fatigues for a suit and tie, speaks softly, and assures the world that he has become a “moderate” who claims he is ready to uphold the rights of Syria’s many minorities, including the Alawites, the Druze, and the Kurds, and is even ready to make peace with Israel. Of course, his former rebel soldiers have murdered 1,500 Alawite civilians in Latakia, killed hundreds of members of the Druze minority in Suweida, and are now trying to convince the Kurdish militia to become part of the Syrian National Army, a proposal which the Kurds rightly suspect that would leave them wide open to Arab depredations, without their own militias to protect them. And while early on he assured the world that he wanted to “live in peace with all of Syria’s neighbors,” he now has taken a much harder line on the Jewish state.
More on Ahmed al-Sharaa can be found here: “Will Syria’s New President Live Up to the World’s Hope? The Signs Aren’t Good,” by Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Algemeiner, October 3, 2025:
Last week, Ahmad Sharaa became the first Syrian president in 60 years to visit New York for the UN General Assembly’s annual meeting.
Bolstered by growing global recognition and newfound confidence, Sharaa deviated from his prepared remarks, offering a candid glimpse into his true perspective. If you believe he seeks peace with Israel or that Syria under his leadership will transform into an inclusive, stable democracy — as Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) optimistically suggested — think again. The reality is far less promising.
Since assuming power in December, Sharaa has carefully navigated the contentious issue of Israel. For months, he avoided joining other Arab governments in publicly denouncing the Jewish State or explicitly supporting Palestinian causes. He stated that Syria would pose no threat to any nation, implying a reluctance to engage in conflict with Israel. This restraint fueled speculation that Sharaa might pursue a form of peace, perhaps resembling the bilateral “hot peace” of the Abraham Accords, which prioritize direct normalization, rather than the multilateral “cold peace” that is contingent on resolving the Palestinian question through statehood.
Initially, al-Sharaa seemed to be surprisingly well-disposed toward Israel. He did not join other Arab states condemning the IDF’s actions in Gaza, nor did he speak out in support of the Palestinians. He said Syria wanted “peace” with “all of its neighbors.” That statement gave hope that al-Sharaa wanted to put an end to Syria’s conflict with Israel.
However, Sharaa’s stance on Gaza began to shift this narrative. At the Organization of Islamic Countries summit, held in Doha on September 14, Sharaa condemned an Israeli strike on Hamas operatives in Qatar, drawing parallels to what he described as similar aggression faced by Syria over the past nine months….
Ever since Assad fled Syria for Moscow, and the al-Sharaa-led rebels took power in Damascus, the Israelis have been bombing at will hundreds of sites where Assad’s army had stored its weapons. The IDF was taking no chances; it wanted to destroy those weapons, including several airbases and their planes, while it had a chance, when al-Sharaa was preoccupied with forming a new government, and, in any case, did not have any defensive weapons with which to stop the Israeli airstrikes.
Al-Sharaa has not tried to reassure the shattered Alawite community in Latakia, still shaken by the Sunni Arabs attacks and the deaths of so many of its members. The Druze in Syria, having been attacked by both local Bedouin tribesmen and troops affiliated with the government, are now looking to Israel for protection. The IDF went into action a few months ago to drive those attackers away from the Druze areas. And now some Druze in Syria want their stronghold in Sweida, and the area between Sweida and the Israeli border, to become part of the Jewish state.
In his now more frequent denunciations of Israeli actions in Gaza, and his failure to reassure Syria’s minorities — the Alawites, Christians, and Druze — that they will be safe from attack even though it was troops affiliated with his government who have attacked all three groups, and then, too, his plan to have the Kurdish militia incorporated into the national army of Syria, which Kurds rightly fear is a scheme to effectively disarm them, al-Sharaa is revealing both his Arab supremacism and his deep anti-Israel feelings. It’s time for the American government to disabuse itself of its naïve faith that al-Sharaa has thrown off his al-Qaeda origins and sympathies. He has not forgotten the jihadist imperative, but his charade as a “moderate” managed to convince the Americans to lift their sanctions from Syria this past summer. Message to Washington: when it comes to the smooth-talking al-Sharaa, look at what he has been doing to the minorities in Syria, and saying about Israel’s relations with other Arabs, and curb your enthusiasm.
rubiconcrest says
I would not be caught smiling upon meeting him or shaking his hand. He won’t shake hands with 50% of the human race. I would treat him like I’d treat a Bothrops viper. I’d warn him not to be found where he didn’t belong.
Ruth E weekly says
If the Muslim will give them a bribe they will like that so that must be the reason they are so nice to the viper. I am seeing that counties are treating the enemy with lots of tax payers money.. It seems strange our tax dollars is not going to fix sewer systems, roads and etc.
Hank says
+10
“If the Muslim will give them a bribe they will like that so that must be the reason they are so nice to the viper.”
Tending the bribe and using other peoples money (taxpayers) – what more could you wish for. No wish upon a star needed.
sarc/off
gravenimage says
I doubt it–Trump just assumes that he must be great since he opposed dictator Assad. In the same way, lots of naive Westerners assumed that the “Arab Spring” was a democratic movement–but it was not, and in most cases was much worse than what these countries already had.
Stive says
Most won’t make the connection unless pointed out or see both Jews reports side by side but it is appalling that at the same time in n.y. that trump and Rubio were shaking Jolani’s hand with smiles his troops were actively burning small christian towns across Syria with death toll not known.
Ruth E weekly says
What will Trump and Rubio get for knowing that the Muslim is lying and will lie to us saying the fellow has changed his ways and the tax payers will give him money for what because Trump is such a nice fellow. That leaves us not getting the tax dollars spent for things we need, like roads being improved, sewers need repairs, just forget about what America needs, the wicked is winning, they give to the elites and elites will give our tax dollars away to them.
Cowart says
The anti Jewish attacker in England terrorist . It Elsa’s revealed he had 3 wives. 2 of them converts from England. How many kids will uk have to now feed clothe and fend for?
somehistory says
From The Western Journal
“The U.S. military has confirmed the death of a senior member of an al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist organization in Syria, U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday.
Muhammad Abd-al-Wahhab al-Ahmad, identified as a senior “attack planner” for the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam, was killed in an Oct. 2 airstrike, CENTCOM said.
“U.S. forces in the Middle East remain postured to disrupt and defeat efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement.
“We will continue to defend our homeland, warfighters, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond,” Cooper added.
https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1975653202088333498
Ansar al-Islam is a terrorist organization designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist group in 2004.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Ansar al-Islam translates to “Supporters of Islam,” UPI reported.
The militant Kurdish group is part of a separatist movement seeking to transform Iraq into an Islamic state.
The group reportedly formed in 2001 with the support of al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.
CENTCOM’s strike is the latest in a series of U.S. operations targeting terrorist leadership in Syria this year.
Al-Qaeda’s Most Ruthless Warlord
In late February, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike that killed Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, a senior military leader of the al-Qaida-linked Hurras al-Din group, according to The Hill.
The U.S. military said it continues to monitor and strike targets that pose a threat to Americans and regional stability.
CENTCOM officials emphasized that operations like the one conducted last week are aimed at preventing terror attacks before they can be carried out.
The strike comes after another successful raid in northern Syria nearly two months ago.
“U.S. Central Command forces conducted a successful raid in northern Syria on Aug. 19, killing a senior ISIS member and key financier who planned attacks in Syria and Iraq,” CENTCOM said at the time.
“He had relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region, posing a direct threat to U.S. and Coalition forces and the new Syrian Government.””
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-kills-senior-terror-attack-planner-in-strike/ar-AA1O5D5W?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=68e6c37ff8664d8a96ea803bf55dc170&ei=19
gravenimage says
Thanks for that link.
Patrick says
What fuels the Trump administration/Trump, when it comes to looking deeply into who Sharaa really is? When it comes to Muslim leaders, it should immediately, throw up a red flag!
I contend, Trump knows nothing about Islam, relies on others to support his uneducated view.
Therefore, contact Robert Spencer or Dr. Jay Smith, can straighten Trump out, in 3-4 hours. America/Trump needs theses two Islamic experts in the worst way!!
࿗Infidel࿘ says
In this case, I think Trump was in a mode of winning back the support of Saudi Arabia, which Biden had lost. So he visited them, gave them the prestige of hosting the US-Russia peace talks, then did them favors like restoring military ties and finally, when MbS asked, agreed to appear w/ both MbS and al Shara’a for a photo-op
I don’t fault him on this one, but if we don’t know squat about Syria internally, the best thing the US can do is have no policy on that country (other than keep them in the travel ban) and let the Israelis make whatever policy they need to wrt the Druze, Kurds and maybe even the Alawites
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Reason he doesn’t want war w/ Israel is that he can see what happened to Hizbullah, his primary enemy in Syria, and he wouldn’t want the same thing to happen to him. He’s certainly no Anwar Sadat or el-Sisi
Lady of the Lake says
This foto made me cry.
asadfaytoday says
This foto made me cry
GodHelpUsAll says
He had the best teacher, “allah is the best of deceivers.” and mohammad was his chief channel on earth. Deception is the very foundation of islam.
OLD GUY says
I wouldn’t trust him with a Han sandwich.
gravenimage says
About Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Curb Your Enthusiasm
…………………………………..
I never had any enthusiasm for this Jihad terrorist to begin with. It is all based on foolish Infidels assuming that since dictator Assad was pretty bad–and he was–that anyone who opposes him must ergo be a staunch supporter of democracy. But this is ridiculous. Al-Sharaa is actually considerably worse than was Assad.
The massacres of Christians, Alawites, and Druze under his aegis should make this clear, if nothing else has.