Saar Calls for Europe's 'Awakening' Against 'Suit-Wearing Jihadists' in Syria

In the wake of the killing of hundreds of ethnic and religious minorities in Syria, Gideon Saar, Israel's Foreign Minister, referred to the leaders of the new Syrian government as 'suit-wearing jihadists' and called for an 'awakening' and a serious change in the approach of European countries towards the Syrian regime. In an interview with the German publication 'Bild', Saar pointed to the 'brutal massacre' of Syrian citizens by supporters of Ahmad al-Shara, the interim president of Syria, which has occurred recently, stating that this development has caused the 'mask' to be removed from the faces of Ahmad al-Shara's supporters. Reports indicate that around 745 civilians from Alawite minorities have been killed during recent clashes between Ahmad al-Shara's forces and militias loyal to Bashar al-Assad, the ousted president of Syria. According to 'Times of Israel', Gideon Saar urged Europe to protest against the 'slaughter' and 'brutal killing of civilians'. In this interview, the Israeli Foreign Minister asked Europe to 'wake up' and refrain from legitimizing a 'regime' that has committed such crimes as one of its first actions. Gideon Saar described the new rulers of Syria as jihadists who wear suits. Simultaneously, the U.S. State Department condemned the actions of extremist Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadists involved in the killings of Syrian citizens. The department emphasized the United States' support for the religious and ethnic minorities in Syria, including Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities, and called on the officials of the interim Syrian government to hold accountable those responsible for these massacres against Syrian minority communities. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than a thousand people have been killed in recent clashes along the Mediterranean coast of Syria. The deployment of thousands of forces loyal to the current Syrian government to coastal areas has resulted in one of the bloodiest sectarian conflicts in Syria in the last 13 years.