Syria’s president accuses Israel of seeking ‘endless chaos’ as his forces pull back

Syrian government forces began withdrawing from a restive southern province as President Ahmed al-Sharaa sought to restore calm after days of deadly sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes against the Arab state.

In a hardening of his rhetoric against Syria’s southern neighbour, Sharaa accused Israel of seeking to foment “endless chaos”, and said Syria faced a choice between “open war with the Israeli entity” or handing security in the Sweida province over to factions from the country’s Druze minority.

“We are not those who fear war . . . However, we prioritised the interests of Syrians over chaos and destruction,” Sharaa said during an address aired on state television in the early hours of Thursday.

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