Saar slams Syrian President for blaming victims, backing killers

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar delivered a scathing rebuke on Saturday of Syrian President Ahmed al-Shaara, accusing him of openly supporting jihadist militias responsible for the massacre of 700 Druze civilians and fostering a climate of impunity and ethnic persecution.

In a statement, Saar denounced al-Shaara’s recent speech, in which the Syrian president praised the so-called “Bedouin tribes” as bearers of “noble values and principles” — a thinly veiled endorsement of the extremist militias who have been terrorizing minority communities across the country.

“President al-Shaara’s remarks are nothing short of victim-blaming,” Saar said. “Instead of condemning the atrocities committed against the Druze, Kurds, Alawites, and Christians, he is celebrating their attackers and weaving conspiracy theories that shift blame toward Israel.”

Saar added that al-Shaara’s rhetoric not only whitewashes the crimes of radical militias, but further legitimizes the persecution of Syria’s minorities. “Over the past six months, Syria under al-Shara has become one of the most dangerous places in the region for ethnic and religious minorities,” he warned.

He urged the international community to draw a clear line: “There must be no return to normalization for Syria unless it guarantees the protection of all its citizens. The global community has a moral responsibility to stand with the persecuted and to condition Syria’s reintegration into the international order on its commitment to human rights and minority protections.”

The remarks come amid growing international concern over the worsening situation in Syria, where Islamist militias aligned with the transitional government have committed a series of mass killings and human rights abuses, particularly in the Druze-majority region of Sweida.

While President al-Shaara has attempted to frame the unrest as tribal conflict or external interference, observers say the systematic targeting of minorities points to a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing and religious repression.

Saar’s comments reflect Israel’s growing alarm over developments on its northeastern border and its broader concerns about the entrenchment of extremist elements in the post-Assad Syrian landscape.

“The world must not look away,” Saar concluded. “Protecting Syria’s minorities is not just a regional issue — it’s a test of our collective conscience.”