The Syrian rebel leader's victory speech has a message for Iran — as well as Trump and Israel

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani's road to Damascus is long. He spoke freely about his change in approach. From a young al Qaeda two decades ago, to a rebel commander advocating sectarian tolerance.

Journey has had plenty of time to plan where and how to mark his arrival, and to fine-tune his narrative – his message to those who put him in power, those who would bring him down, and others who would take him away. it can keep him in power.

Not surprisingly, the rebels chose Damascus's venerable Umayyad Mosque – not a television studio, or the recently lost presidential palace, but a place of great religious importance, which at 1,300 years old is one of the oldest mosques in the world – to deliver that. the message.

“This victory, my brothers, is the victory of the entire Muslim nation,” he told his small entourage, who had gathered behind him behind the distinctive splendor of the black and white Islamic stone.

It was a message to all those who had taken him from power, and he pushed his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces with incredible speed across Syria to oust President Bashir al-Assad.

It was also a message to the newly freed Syrians. “This victory, my brothers, is by the grace of Almighty God (following) the offerings of martyrs, widows, and orphans. This victory for our brothers came from the suffering of those who endured arrest,” he said.

In a world where the God you choose, and the way you pray, can define your class, limit your desires and pit you against your neighbor, Jolani sent a clear signal to the Umayyad Mosque. He is a Sunni Muslim, part of the Syrian majority. Assad was an Alawite. There are Christians, Druze, Shia Muslims, Ismailis and more.

Yet the words he chooses seem intended to break those ancient boundaries. “This new victory, brothers, marks a new chapter in the history of this region, a history full of dangers (that left) Syria as a playground for Iranian ambitions, spreading sectarianism, spreading corruption,” he said.

Targeting Iran seems to be the message from the Tehran regime – that their meddling is over, their easy access to the world of their main proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon is over, their support for Syrian Hezbollah is over, and their home is gone. Iran's arsenal.

But it's a message Jolani will know is being heard in Tel Aviv and Washington, where he is considered a member of a banned terrorist organization with a $10 million bounty on his head. The message to them, 'your interests are understood in the new Syria,' and his understanding that these are the forces that cannot bring him down.

Jolani was in pain in his race to Damascus to make sure that American President Joe Biden and even President-elect Donald Trump knew his intention. It is no coincidence that he chose the US TV network, CNN, and not the Arab one, for an important interview in the days before ousting Assad, saying that he was separated from other jihadists because of their brutal tactics.

Speaking a few hours later, Biden said he heard Jolani “saying the right things,” but insisted that the rebel leader be judged for his actions.

Jolani's message also directed the regional power he will need to stay away, promising to clean up the shop. “Syria is being cleansed,” he said, referring to the country's reputation as a narco-state, saying that Assad's Syria “has become the world's leading source of Captagon,” an amphetamine-type drug, and crime throughout the region.

Jolani's Islamic speech was about coming and living. It is his actions, however, that will ensure the following.

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