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Senior Israeli Official: Al-Sharaa Is Clearly Our Enemy

Children ride in a truck as they are evacuated due to fears of Israeli army incursions, following a drone attack that reportedly killed at least four people in the area, on the outskirts of the village of Koayiah, southwestern Syria, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Children ride in a truck as they are evacuated due to fears of Israeli army incursions, following a drone attack that reportedly killed at least four people in the area, on the outskirts of the village of Koayiah, southwestern Syria, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
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Senior Israeli Official: Al-Sharaa Is Clearly Our Enemy

Children ride in a truck as they are evacuated due to fears of Israeli army incursions, following a drone attack that reportedly killed at least four people in the area, on the outskirts of the village of Koayiah, southwestern Syria, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Children ride in a truck as they are evacuated due to fears of Israeli army incursions, following a drone attack that reportedly killed at least four people in the area, on the outskirts of the village of Koayiah, southwestern Syria, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

A senior Israeli official warned on Tuesday that the growing understandings between Syria and Türkiye could restrict Israel's operational freedom in Syria.

Regarding Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Haaretz newspaper quoted the senior official as saying, “He is a classic Islamist and clearly our enemy – without a doubt.”

The official added, "This is a strategic asset we must preserve. Türkiye’s goal is to limit Israeli activity in Syria. We have no interest in confrontation, but we won't give up our positions either."

The senior official also addressed the Israeli Army operations in Syria, stating, “We have full backing from the US president.”

Regarding the possibility of Türkiye establishing a base in Syria, he said, “We don't believe Erdogan will be the one to provide the funding.”

Lately, Israeli officials have voiced concerns over reports that Türkiye is considering establishing a military base in Syria.

Israeli security sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding security consultations to discuss concerns over Turkish influence in Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime, and is trying to portray a confrontation with Ankara as inevitable.

The Hebrew website Walla, citing security sources, said Syria is holding contacts with Türkiye regarding the transfer of areas near Palmyra (central Syria) to the Turkish army in exchange for economic and military support for Damascus. This development sparked significant Israeli concerns, the sources said.
They noted that the new Syrian regime is working to restore military bases and enhance missile and defense capabilities in the south, near Israel.

Last Thursday, a Turkish Ministry of Defense source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat reports about plans to establish a military base in Syria.

The source, who requested anonymity, said Türkiye is evaluating, in line with the new Syrian government's requests, the possibility of setting up a training base to enhance the capabilities of the Syrian military.

This statement was made in response to questions during a weekly press briefing by the Turkish Ministry of Defense, addressing recent reports regarding the potential establishment of a Turkish military base in Palmyra, Homs province, and an airbase at the Menagh Military Airport in Aleppo province.

“All our activities in Syria are coordinated in advance with the relevant parties, and all necessary security measures are taken,” the source added.

Earlier last month, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel will defend itself against any threat from Syria, while vowing the military will continue working to keep southern Syria demilitarized.

“We will ensure that southern Syria remains demilitarized and free of threats, and we will protect the local Druze population - anyone who does harm to them will face out response,” he wrote on his X page.

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Arab World

Hezbollah Raises Civil War Threat Over Disarmament Plan

Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)
Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)
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Hezbollah Raises Civil War Threat Over Disarmament Plan

Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)
Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)

Hezbollah escalated its response to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam over plans to press ahead with restricting weapons to the state and extending the move to areas north of the Litani River, raising the specter of civil war as tensions over the issue intensify.

Mahmoud Qamati, vice president of Hezbollah’s political council, said in a televised interview that statements by the president and prime minister on confining weapons north of the Litani meant the government was heading toward chaos and instability, and toward an internal situation that no one would accept, possibly even a civil war.

The government last week tasked the Lebanese army commander, during a cabinet session, with preparing a plan to restrict weapons north of the Litani, after announcing that the objectives of the first phase of the plan to confine arms to the state south of the river had been achieved.

Qamati’s Position

Hezbollah says that before any discussion begins on the fate of its weapons outside the area south of the river, Israel must stop violating Lebanese sovereignty, withdraw from points it occupies, and release prisoners.

Qamati said on Tuesday that some parties were insisting on implementing foreign dictates and offering concessions to Israel for free and without any return.

He added that the army’s role was not to protect Israel from any military action from Lebanon, but to confront Israel, which he said occupies Lebanese territory.

Accusing some members of the government of collusion to implement a US-Israeli plan for personal calculations, Qamati called for a return to reason, wisdom, and “Lebanese-Lebanese dialogue”.

War Against Whom?

Lebanese Industry Minister Joe Issa El-Khoury expressed surprise at Hezbollah’s threat of a civil war, asking between whom such a war would take place, between an illegitimate armed group and the legitimate army.

Civil wars, he said, usually erupt between illegitimate armed groups, warning that if Hezbollah did not hand over its weapons, other unarmed groups might rearm on the grounds that the army was unable to protect them.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, El-Khoury said it was unacceptable for one group alone to be armed to fight Israel, adding that Lebanon either builds a state together or looks for other projects. While the region was moving forward with strong momentum, he said, Lebanon was moving backward.

El-Khoury said the army’s forthcoming plan to restrict weapons north of the Litani should not include multiple phases, but rather a single phase running until the end of March.

He stressed that linking implementation to the army’s capabilities and resources was misplaced.

He recalled that the strongest militia after the civil war was the Lebanese Forces, which later committed to building the state and handed over its weapons to the army, thereby eliminating the need for army deployment in areas where the group had been present.

That, he said, was what should happen today with Hezbollah.

Party Warning

Sources familiar with Hezbollah’s internal thinking told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group did not want a clash with the army, and that the army did not intend to seize weapons by force.

The warning issued by Qamati, they said, was directed at political forces pushing for disarmament by force. The sources added that the current moves were an attempt to create the right conditions to reach a consensus solution to the issue.

Remarks by Rajji

Hezbollah’s veiled threats of civil war coincided with a fierce campaign by lawmakers from the Shiite duo, Amal and Hezbollah, against Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji.

In a televised interview, Rajji said that the ceasefire declaration approved by the government provided for Hezbollah’s weapons to be confined in return for a halt to Israeli attacks, and that as long as the weapons were not fully confined, Israel, unfortunately, had the right to continue its attacks.

Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar described the remarks as dangerous, saying they required a clear and firm stance from the president and prime minister, as well as a halt to such statements, which he said inflamed internal divisions and served only to benefit the enemy.

Qassem Hashem, a member of the Development and Liberation bloc, said Rajji’s comments went beyond impropriety to justifying Israeli aggression against Lebanon, calling it a violation of sovereignty and a blow to national dignity.

He said the remarks should not pass without accountability in cabinet, and that in a fully sovereign state, the minister would be dismissed.

Another lawmaker from the bloc, Mohammed Khawaja, asked the president and prime minister whether Rajji was truly Lebanon’s foreign minister, accusing him of focusing on finding justifications for Israel.

In response, El-Khoury told Asharq Al-Awsat that Rajji’s remarks reflected the government’s position, not a personal view.

He said the agreement approved by Hezbollah listed the parties authorized to carry weapons and did not include Hezbollah, meaning that the group’s insistence on keeping its arms constituted a breach of the agreement and provided Israel with a pretext to refuse to implement its provisions.

Arab World

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gaza Committee Members to Meet Mladenov at US Embassy in Cairo

Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.
Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gaza Committee Members to Meet Mladenov at US Embassy in Cairo

Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.
Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.

Palestinian sources reported that figures nominated to lead a temporary Gaza Administration Committee are scheduled to meet on Thursday with Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, the nominee to head the executive body of the Board of Peace, at the US embassy in Cairo.

Sources from civil society and Palestinian factions, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said that meetings of some factions in Cairo on Wednesday would discuss several issues related to the second phase, including agreement on the names put forward for the Gaza Administration Committee.

They added that there was preliminary acceptance of these names.

The sources said that despite reservations by the Palestinian Authority over the committee, some of its members, and the fact that its work would report to the Board of Peace to be announced by US President Donald Trump, assessments suggest there will be no opposition to it given the current internal Palestinian situation and the urgent need for Hamas to exit the governance scene in Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority had hoped that a minister from the government led by Mohammad Mustafa would assume responsibility for the committee, but Israel and the United States opposed that option.

Arrangements for travel

Regarding travel for committee members based inside Gaza, the sources said arrangements were underway, though the mechanism had not yet been finalized as of Wednesday afternoon. They said members based outside the enclave, in European countries or in Ramallah, including Ali Shaath, who is seen as the likely head of the committee, were expected to arrive in Cairo on Wednesday.

The sources said those already in Egypt were prepared, and that members inside Gaza could be included virtually if travel proved impossible, though that scenario was not expected.

Meetings with Mladenov

The meeting will focus on the committee’s mandate to administer Gaza.

An announcement is expected once agreement is reached on the members and their responsibilities, either on Wednesday or Thursday, ahead of Trump’s anticipated announcement of the Board of Peace. Mladenov would head the board’s executive body and oversee the technocratic committee.

Several meetings between committee members and Mladenov are planned, all at the US embassy, according to some sources, who added that a dedicated financial fund had been designated to support the committee’s work.

Multiple sources said the committee would assume full governmental responsibilities in Gaza and that Hamas would expedite the handover of authority and provide all necessary support.

Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Tuesday evening some of the names expected to join the new committee, which is set to comprise between 15 and 18 members. Most are from Gaza, comprising mainly businessmen, economists, civil society leaders, and academics.

Names obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat include Ali Shaath, a former deputy transport minister in the Palestinian Authority; Abdel Karim Ashour, head of the Agricultural Relief Committees and a civil society activist; Aed Yaghi, head of the Medical Relief Society; Aed Abu Ramadan, head of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce; Jabr al-Daour, president of Palestine University; Bashir al-Rais, an engineering consultant; Omar Shomali, head of Palestinian Telecommunications in Gaza; Ali Barhoum, an engineer and consultant at Rafah municipality, and lawyer Hanaa Terzi.

A civil society source said there was broad agreement on these names so far, adding it was not yet known whether Israel had approved them. Changes could still be made if disputes emerge over any of the nominees.

Arab World

US Says Gaza ‘Phase Two’ Beginning with Goal of Hamas Demilitarization

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)
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US Says Gaza ‘Phase Two’ Beginning with Goal of Hamas Demilitarization

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)

President Donald Trump's envoy said Wednesday that a plan to end the Gaza war was now moving to Phase Two with a goal of disarming Hamas, despite a number of Israeli strikes during the ceasefire.

"We are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President's 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction," envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on X.

The second phase will also include the setup of a 15-person Palestinian technocratic committee to administer post-war Gaza. Its formation was announced earlier Wednesday by Egypt, a mediator.

Phase Two "begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel."

"The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences," he said.