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Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/wolf-in-sheeps-clothing-al-julani-poses-challenge-for-israel/
New Syrian Leader Al-Jolani Poses Challenge for Israel
(Israel Hayom) Prof. Eyal Zisser - In recent decades, Syria wasn't merely a connecting link between Tehran, Baghdad, Gaza, and Beirut - through which Iranian weapons flowed to Hamas and Hizbullah - it was actually the initiator and driving force behind this axis. Assad's Syria saw its role as a forward base in the campaign against Israel. Today, Syria's new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a former ISIS operative and leader of the Levant Liberation Front, speaks in tones pleasing to Western and even Israeli ears, claiming he shouldn't be judged by his actions as a young man and that his only desire is to build a new Syria and ensure its people can earn a living with dignity. Time will tell whether he's a wolf in sheep's clothing or whether this former jihadist has genuinely transformed. Meanwhile, his vision for Syria is becoming clearer - an Islamic state governed by religious law. The writer is a lecturer in the Middle East History Department at Tel Aviv University.