YnetNews.com reports: “Maher Marwan, the new governor of Damascus appointed by Syria’s de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammed al-Golani), made a surprising statement calling on the United States to establish peace between Syria and Israel.

‘There exists a people who want coexistence. They want peace. They don’t want disputes. We want peace, and we cannot be an opponent to Israel or an opponent to anyone,’ he said in an interview with U.S. public radio network NPR.

However, he acknowledged Israel’s concerns, saying, ‘It’s natural for Israel to be worried about certain factions.’ He added, ‘ Israel may have felt fear, so it advanced a little, bombed a little, etc. We have no fear towards Israel, and our problem is not with Israel. And we don’t want to meddle in anything that will threaten Israel’s security or any other country’s security.’

A U.S. official confirmed that the new Syrian administration’s message was relayed to Israel but noted that the White House isn’t urging either side to take steps toward establishing relations at this time…”