Al-Julani tried to convince Israel he is our friend. We're not buying it for a second. 

Israel is sounding the alarm over Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Julani.

Al-Julani rose to power after toppling Bashar al-Assad in December 2025, and with that, hopes for a stable border were suddenly dashed. A senior security official told Kan News that Al-Julani, branded “an Islamist [wearing] a tie,” freed dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists jailed under Assad, with many now resuming attacks against Israel from Syrian soil.

Al-Julani, once known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, formerly an al-Qaeda offshoot, to oust Assad. Despite his polished suits and promises of moderation, Israel isn't fooled at all and recognizes that he is a familiar foe.

Sources say Iran, reeling from Assad’s fall, is funneling support to these terror cells and exploiting prison breaks during the coup to reassert influence. “He’s no partner for peace,” the official warned, “he’s a jihadist masking his agenda to fool the West while threatening our security.”

Al-Julani claims to back a unified Syrian state, but his recent moves, like releasing operatives linked to past rocket fire on the Golan Heights, don't align with what he's saying.

Unfortunately, HTS is still strong despite Israel’s strikes on former Assad bases and the situation echoes pre-coup dangers, now without Assad’s restraint.