The Israeli narrative justifying the military incursion into Syrian territory, the occupation of the buffer zone, and the continued bombing of military sites states that Tel Aviv will absolutely not accept the Syrian armed opposition (the new regime) in Syria gaining access to strategic weapons, including warplanes, chemical weapons, strategic missiles (Scud), surface-to-surface missiles, and other offensive weapons.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said frankly and clearly after the Israeli army's incursion into Quneitra: "Tel Aviv will not allow a terrorist entity to operate against Israel from beyond its borders, warning that it will follow in the footsteps of Bashar al-Assad and meet the same fate.".

While the Israeli Defense Minister was outlining the shape of the relationship with the next phase in Syria according to previous statements, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the commander-in-chief of military operations, was saying on Sky News: “The Syrian people are exhausted as a result of years of conflict, and the country will not witness another war.”.

Just one day after al-Sharaa’s statements to Sky News that Syria and the Syrian people would not enter another war, in a message to the region and the country, the military operations administration announced that it was dissolving the security forces of the former Syrian regime and closing the notorious prisons; this means that al-Sharaa is moving towards a different approach from Assad’s repressive approach, which relied on a security grip.

The truth is that the debate is still ongoing about what al-Sharaa wants from Syria, what is expected of him in terms of the shape of the Syrian state at the security and military levels, and how he will deal with the army and security forces. It is no secret that the whole world is now watching al-Sharaa’s behavior in all directions, including the protection of minorities. Al-Sharaa probably realizes now more than ever that he is in Damascus and not Idlib. Therefore, the first step at the external level was that the military leadership met with the ambassadors of Jordan, Egypt and Italy to explain the general direction of this stage. This is a message to the outside world that Syria will be open to everyone and not in the image that some want to promote, that jihadist groups have come to power and will turn Syria into a new Afghanistan.

If we want to approach the policy of legitimacy towards Israel, it can be approached from two angles; the first is the priorities of the next stage, or it can be said to be consolidating (legitimacy), and this requires focusing on two basic issues; the first is involving the Syrian political forces and all Syrian parties in governance on the basis of role and representation, before starting the process of amending or drafting a constitution, as such a procedure requires good intentions towards many Syrian political forces. The second matter is economic stability and providing the daily needs of Syrians after years of economic deterioration and collapse, and this brings legitimacy back to the square of security and stability for all Syrian regions, as the European Union does not hide that lifting sanctions on Syria is linked to practical measures on the ground to achieve coexistence and representation of all Syrians.

The second aspect is resolving problems with neighboring countries and transforming Syria from a country that exports problems and destabilizes the region into a country that contributes to and participates in regional security. Here, Israel enters the fray in the matter of resolving problems and testing the legitimacy of the government in controlling many of the unorganized military forces at the present stage. In fact, the interest of the government today lies in transforming Syria into a calm, safe, and reassuring arena for its neighbors, primarily Iraq, which is watching and closely monitoring all developments on Syrian soil, given the nature of the historical and geopolitical relationship between the two countries. Perhaps the stability of the relationship with Iraq will give the new Syria a golden opportunity for economic stability, given the volume of trade between the two countries and Iraq's ability to support Syria economically in a way that benefits both sides. This is what the new government in Syria should work on, and of course, Jordan, which is also apprehensive about the presence of a government with an Islamic character in Syria, with which coordination must be carried out at all levels.

Returning to the issue of Israel and its repeated targeting of sensitive Syrian sites, this constitutes an embarrassment to the new regime, a test of intentions at the same time, and the setting of new rules from the beginning. In just two days, Israel carried out more than 300 military strikes on Syrian territory, which constitutes a pressure factor on the regime at this stage in which it is trying to gain Syrian legitimacy.

Although there is a convergence of interests between Israel and the new Syrian leadership, which is represented in ending the militia presence in Syria, which was a priority for al-Sharaa in his first appearance after entering Damascus, and he stated it publicly, Israel will not be satisfied with this type of statement and will continue to target Syrian sites.

But at the same time, Israel’s continued strikes and incursions into Syrian territory will reignite chaos in Syria. Therefore, Israel must also realize that increasing pressure on Syria will lead to an explosion. Today’s Syria, which is based on the principle of freedom and revolution, is not the Syria of Bashar al-Assad, which was based on the policy of (Saydnaya) and silencing all voices. I do not believe that the current regime is inclined towards any confrontation, even at the local level, so how can it be against Israel, which has overstepped its military bounds in Gaza, Lebanon, and other areas? From here, regional security can be formulated, and efforts can be made to rid Syria of the troublesome and destructive legacy that has persisted for five decades without success.