Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday accused Israel of trying to provoke a broader conflict but vowed that Syria would not be drawn into war.
"We, the people of Syria, know very well who is trying to drag us into war and who is working to divide us," al-Sharaa said in a dawn speech broadcast on national television.
"We will not give them the opportunity to entangle our people in a war that serves only to fragment our homeland and sow destruction."
Al-Sharaa blamed Israel for exploiting instability in the wake of regime change, accusing it of targeting civilian infrastructure and seeking to derail reconstruction efforts.
"Power alone does not guarantee victory and igniting a war is not the same as controlling its outcome," he said. "We are stronger than any attempt to tear us apart."
Addressing internal unrest in the southern province of Suwayda, al-Sharaa said the government had intervened to end armed clashes between local groups.
Clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze civilians have escalated in recent days, centered on the Druze-majority city of Suwayda, with Syrian government troops deployed to the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Thursday reported the death toll from the violence had risen to 360.
Al-Sharaa blamed "outlawed factions" for rejecting dialogue and fueling disorder while accusing Israel of exploiting the unrest through strikes on civilian infrastructure to derail peace efforts.
He also reaffirmed the Druze community's place in Syrian society, underscoring the state's commitment to protecting their rights and freedoms and warned against attempts to drag it into foreign agendas.
"We have spent our lives facing challenges and defending our people, but we have put the interests of the Syrians before chaos and destruction," he said.
