His defense minister, Israel Katz, who accompanied the prime minister on the visit, said that Israel’s military presence there serves as “deterrence against the rebels in Damascus, who claim to present a moderate face but are among the most extreme Islamist movements.”
Mr. al-Shara’s rebel faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was once affiliated with Al Qaeda but broke with the group in 2017. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Nations and others, but some countries say they may consider lifting that designation. A decision, they say, will hinge on whether there is a democratic transition in Syria and if rebel leaders demonstrate respect for minority groups.
In recent weeks, Mr. al-Shara has sought to present himself as a diplomat focused on rebuilding his country, meeting with officials from the United States as well as those from European and Middle Eastern nations.
There are some indications that the new Syrian government would welcome relations with Israel as well. The newly appointed governor of Damascus, Maher Marwan, in an NPR interview in late December, called on the United States to use its sway over Israel to encourage the establishment of diplomatic relations.
For now, however, Israel appears more focused on military action.
Apart from the encroachment of Israeli ground troops in Syria, the Israeli military has also conducted intensive airstrikes there, war monitors say, both before and since the fall of Mr. al-Assad. In a report on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented more than 370 Israeli attacks in Syria last year, the majority of which came in recent weeks.
