al-Qaeda has landed in Israel: “We love you”

Published 3 December 2024 at 10.27

Foreign. In an unexpected statement on an Israeli talk show, a spokesman for the terrorist group al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, chose to officially thank Israel for its military support. Many Israeli TV viewers probably raised their eyebrows when the jihadist suddenly started sounding like a Christian Democrat EU parliamentarian.
  – We love Israel, said the al-Qaeda representative among other things.

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In the autumn, Israeli airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Syria have created opportunities for jihadists from the terrorist group al-Qaeda's Syrian branch Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to advance and retake strategic areas such as Aleppo and parts of the province of Idlib.

This week, a group of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham representatives landed in Israel to strengthen ties with the Jewish state. In a television talk show on the Israeli public service channel Kan, spokesmen for the jihadists appeared and then unexpectedly addressed the Israeli public directly.

– We love Israel, the spokesman for al-Qaeda in Idlib suddenly hatched out of his mind in the interview.

The jihadist then continued the reasoning:

– Israel is not hostile to those who are not hostile to Israel. And we don't hate you, we love you very much.

The statement stands in stark contrast to historical statements by al-Qaeda, which, at least rhetorically, has had Israel as one of its main targets.

< p>The Israeli attacks have targeted arms supplies and military infrastructure linked to Hezbollah and Iran, and have been, according to the rebels, crucial to their success in Syria.

– They accuse us of collaborating with you because we were happy when you attacked Hezbollah, one of the jihadists told Kan.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, has led the new offensive against the Syrian regime.

While the rebels are advancing in Syria, Hezbollah and the Syrian regime are being pushed back by losses and lack of resources.

At the same time as Israel is intensifying its attacks in Syria to prevent arms shipments to Hezbollah, it is reported that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is moving forces from Lebanon to Syria to defend its positions.

That al-Qaeda-affiliated groups now openly praise Israel is a new step in the geopolitical landscape of Syria.

Apart from an apparently rather critical article in the Times of Israel, the jihadist group's statements have received very little attention in the English-language Israeli media. A publication policy that could probably make geopolitical sense because of the country's dependence on the United States, whose population over the past 23 years would probably find it difficult to accept indirect support for al-Qaeda.