Leader of Al-Qaeda Branch in Syria: Our Aim is to Conquer Damascus

The leader of 'Jabhat al-Nusra', a group loyal to Al-Qaeda in Syria, stated in a rare television interview that the group's focus remains on conquering Damascus and overthrowing Bashar al-Assad's government. Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of Jabhat al-Nusra, said in an interview aired on June 6 that 'we continue to maintain our focus on Damascus and the overthrow of this government.' It is unclear where this interview took place. Al-Julani was seated with his back to the camera, and his face was not shown. He urged the Alawites of Syria, a group to which the Assad family belongs, not to fight in order to be safe, and to 'turn to Islam.' The leader of Jabhat al-Nusra stated, 'If they lay down their arms, do not send their men to fight for Assad, and turn to Islam, then they are our brothers.' He emphasized that the Alawites have 'strayed from the religion of God and Islam.' The leader of Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria claimed that his group does not receive any financial support from abroad. Jabhat al-Nusra, alongside other militant and rebel groups, has recently made advances in northwestern Syria. These groups took control of the city of Idlib two months ago and the city of Jisr al-Shughur a month ago (75 kilometers from Latakia in Aleppo province). This has brought these militants closer to Assad's supporters along the eastern Mediterranean coast. Just days before this interview, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon, called on everyone in the region to fight against the group known as the 'Islamic State.' He mentioned Jabhat al-Nusra in his speech, stating that the choice in Syria is now between the 'Islamic State' and 'Jabhat al-Nusra' gaining power or the Assad regime remaining in power. This group, which faces criticism for its presence in Syria, including from some senior Lebanese politicians, killed three of Jabhat al-Nusra's leaders in an attack in May during a meeting in the mountainous border areas between Syria and Lebanon. Al-Julani criticized 'Hezbollah' in his interview with Al Jazeera, saying that this group defends the Assad regime to protect itself. He also stated that there is no such group as 'Khorasan' in Syria. Jabhat al-Nusra, an extremist Islamist group that has been targeted by U.S. airstrikes, is considered one of the armed militant groups that has gained significant influence in Syria.