Syria stays out of conflict unless attacked, says president: 'Unfortunately, today things are not governed by wise minds'

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Tuesday that his country does not want to be “an arena of war” and will not get involved in the Middle East conflict unless it is attacked, according to Reuters.

“If Syria is not targeted by any of the sides, Syria will remain outside of any conflict,” President Ahmed al-Sharaa said at an event hosted by the Chatham House think tank in London, where he was asked if Syria would remain neutral.

“We don't want Syria to be a war arena. But unfortunately today, things are not governed by wise minds. The situation is volatile and random,” the Syrian leader added.

Syria wants “ideal relations” with the region and Western powers

He said he wanted Syria to have “ideal relations with the whole region, with Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and world powers like Britain, France, Germany and the US.”

“I think Syria is qualified to start a network of strategic relations,” Ahmed al-Sharaa also said.

Syria has preferred not to get involved in a regional war that has drawn in neighboring countries, including Lebanon, where Israel has launched a campaign against the pro-Iranian Shiite militia Hezbollah, and Iraq, where other Tehran-aligned groups have launched missile and drone attacks.

This month, Syrian authorities sent thousands of troops to its border with Lebanon in the west and its border with Iraq in the east.

“We've had enough of war. We've paid a big bill. We're not ready for another experience of war,” the Syrian president said.

Thousands of people killed in the war in the Middle East

Since the start of the war launched by the US and Israel on February 28, at least 1,574 civilians have been killed in Iran, including 236 children, The New York Times wrote, citing data provided by HRANA, the press association of a non-profit organization that campaigns for human rights in the Islamic Republic.

In Lebanon, 1,260 people were killed and more than 3,750 were injured, according to the Ministry of Health.

At least 50 people have died in other Gulf nations targeted by Iran's retaliation to the US and Israeli attacks. In Israel, according to Friday's data, at least 17 people were killed. The number of American soldiers killed in the conflict has reached 13.