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Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister accused the head of the group that led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria of being “a wolf in (sheep’s) clothes.” Speaking at a press conference, Haskel held up a photo collage of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, showing him while a member of jihadist organisations. “I’m not sure that this person is not gonna misuse chemical weapons as well. Do you think it’s safe to keep it there in his hand? My answer will be no,” Haskel said. Western states are slowly engaging with Damascus’ new HTS-led authorities, though they still label the group as a terrorist organization. 00:00 – INTRODUCTION 03:27 – EU PLEDGES DIRECT ENGAGEMENT WITH HTS05:52 – ERDOGAN SAYS NO PLACE FOR TERRORIST ORGANISATIONS IN SYRIAn18oc_world n18oc_crux

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated on December 17 that the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not signify that ‘the resistance’ in the region will cease.Khamenei told the crowd, who were chanting “death to Israel,” that “Israel will be eradicated,” not Hezbollah forces.Meanwhile, during his weekly press conference, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Ismail Baghaee, mentioned that there has been no communication from the new U.S. administration regarding the next steps.The comments come as the Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, prepares for a rare visit to Egypt to attend the D-8 summit and discuss regional and bilateral affairs.Relations between Egypt and Iran have generally been fraught in recent decades but the two countries have stepped up high-level diplomatic contacts since the eruption of the Gaza crisis last year as Egypt tried to play a mediating role. n18oc_world n18oc_crux