Syrian army soldiers filmed chanting death threats against Jews in Damascus

Syrian army soldiers chanted threats against Jews outside the historic Damascus Citadel on Saturday, according to Arab media reports and footage published on Sunday.

"I am coming for you, Jew…I will make your blood flow in rivers," soldiers from the Syrian Arab Army chanted while standing in formation, according to footage aired by Al Araby TV. The soldiers also shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is the greatest") and pledged to sacrifice themselves in protest over the situation in Gaza.

The demonstration came after Israel rejected the Board of Peace's 15-point proposal for Gaza, reiterating that Hamas must first be disarmed.

Anti-Israel rhetoric continues under Syria's new leadership

Public threats against Israel by Syrian security personnel have surfaced repeatedly since Ahmed al-Sharaa seized power in 2024. In December, footage also emerged showing members of Syria's 60th Division issuing threats toward Israel.

Prof. Eyal Zisser, a Middle East expert at Tel Aviv University, told The Jerusalem Post that such rhetoric is unsurprising because Syria's new security apparatus absorbed members of radical Islamist organizations.

According to Zisser, Sharaa faces a difficult balancing act between maintaining support from Washington and retaining the backing of the Islamist factions that helped bring him to power.

He argued that the Syrian president is unlikely to crack down on extremist elements within the military or security forces, even after sectarian violence last year left thousands dead and minority communities, including Alawites, Druze and Christians, continue to face attacks.

Moderate image clashes with extremist rhetoric

While Sharaa has sought to portray Syria as a more moderate state to Western governments, including by distancing himself from his former leadership of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), reports have highlighted efforts to improve the country's international image.

Damascus has previously announced it foiled a planned attack on a rabbi in the capital, while media reports have described hotels offering kosher menus and efforts to return confiscated property to Syrian Jews.

Zisser, however, questioned the significance of those efforts, noting that virtually no Jewish community remains in Syria.

"I’m not surprised [by this incident]. Some Christians are being attacked, women are being attacked, minorities and other groups are being attacked. This is the new Syria," he said.

"On the one hand, the regime wants to send a message to the outside world that everything is okay. On the other hand, it needs the support of these people, so it can't confront them."

Expert warns against complacency despite Syria's current weakness

Asked whether the rhetoric represents an immediate military threat to Israel, Zisser said Syria currently lacks the capability to launch a major attack.

However, he pointed to reports that Damascus is expanding its military. The National reported in June that Syria plans to double the size of its armed forces to around 200,000 personnel, incorporating foreign fighters and members of HTS and other Islamist factions, with some reportedly offered Syrian citizenship in exchange for military service.

Referring to Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and approximately 250 were taken hostage after thousands of terrorists crossed the border, Zisser cautioned against dismissing future threats.

"Hamas succeeded because we were stupid. I hope we will not be stupid this time," he said when asked whether a strengthened Syrian military could one day pose a comparable danger.

Expert raises concerns over Syria's new military leadership

Dr. Zoe Levornik, a security researcher at the Alma Research and Education Center, described the video as “concerning,” likening it to other videos where chants of “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews,” alongside Salafi-jihadist messages were documented.

“The concern is not only about statements made by individual soldiers, but about the people now receiving senior positions in the military and security services,” she said, noting that the Alma Center has previously reported that much of the new SAA came from HTS, Jabhat al-Nusra, and other jihadist organizations.

“All five commanders designated to lead the new regional corps have backgrounds in such organizations, including the commander responsible for southern Syria and the border with Israel,” she warned.

Levornik said that the footage also raised questions as to the future of the SAA. “If figures from HTS’s old guard fill the positions being vacated, we may not be witnessing the transformation of militias into a state army, but rather HTS’s gradual takeover of the military,” she continued.

From Israel’s perspective, Levornik said there was concern that actors with jihadist and antisemitic views will gain a state framework, weapons, resources, and command over forces deployed near the border with Israel.

“The al-Sharaa government should therefore be judged not only by its moderate public statements, but also by the identities of its commanders, the ideology taking root within its forces, and their conduct on the ground,” she concluded.