UAE warns Assad not to engage in Israel-Hamas war
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – United Arab Emirates (UAE) warned the Syrian government not to be involved in the war between Israel and Hamas or permit attacks to be launched from Syrian territories, a media outlet reported on Tuesday.
Axios reported citing Emirati sources as saying the UAE warned “the Assad regime in Syria not to intervene in the Hamas-Israel war or to allow attacks on Israel from Syrian soil.”
The sources said that Emirati officials informed senior Syrian officials and also briefed the Biden administration about their contact with the Syrians.
The UAE normalized ties with Syria in 2022. It also has close relationship with Israel after they signed a peace treaty in 2020.
Moreover, the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy said in a joint statement on Monday, “This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.” Many states fear the conflict in Israel will expand to include other countries like Lebanon and Syria and risk a greater regional conflict.
On the other hand, the retired US Army general, Barry McCaffrey, said on Oct. 8, while speaking on the American TV channel MSNBC that the US would likely intervene directly with air and naval strikes if Israel’s neighboring countries in the Middle East become involved and threaten its existence.
“I would suggest to you our support of Israel will be absolute, and if we see Syrian military intervention, active Iranian military intervention, we’ll go to war,” McCaffrey added.
Hamas militants launched a series of sudden attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, killing hundreds and capturing dozens of hostages along the border of the Gaza Strip. Israel declared war in response and conducted intense retaliatory strikes.
Reuters reported that Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack had climbed to 900, with at least 2,600 injured. Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 687 Palestinians had been killed and 3,726 wounded in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.