Israel on Thursday condemned the Syrian government over “grave and dangerous” attacks against the Kurds in the northern city of Aleppo as Damascus ordered civilians to evacuate the area amid deadly clashes that have displaced tens of thousands of people.

Israel’s condemnation of Syria came two days after the countries agreed on a joint mechanism aimed at lowering bilateral tensions.

“Attacks by the Syrian regime’s forces against the Kurdish minority in the city of Aleppo are grave and dangerous,” wrote Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on X, adding: “Systematic and murderous repression of Syria’s various minorities contradicts the promises of a ‘new Syria.'”

Sa’ar said the violence in Aleppo could increase if the international community remained silent.

“The international community in general, and the West in particular, owes a debt of honor to the Kurds who fought bravely and successfully against ISIS,” he said.

Deadly clashes erupted this week between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The sides have failed to implement a March deal to merge the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria’s new government.

The Kurds are pushing for decentralized rule, an idea Syria’s new Islamist authorities have rejected. In the city of Qamishli in the Kurdish-controlled northeast, thousands of protesters gathered Thursday, chanting in support of the SDF and against the government offensive.

Though Damascus has vowed to protect all Syrians, minorities remain wary of their future under the new regime of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the ouster of Syria’s longtime Iran-backed president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 after a 13-year civil war.

Israel has also expressed distrust in Sharaa, the head of a former al-Qaeda........

© The Times of Israel