Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on 17 August that efforts to restore full control over the country after more than a decade of civil war “should not be with blood and military force” but through political understandings. Speaking at a forum with local leaders from Idlib broadcast by state media, he rejected any partition of Syria, calling separatist demands “a dream”, and accused Israel of exploiting recent sectarian violence in the southern Druze-majority province of Sweida to weaken Damascus. Sharaa acknowledged that both government troops and Druze militias committed abuses during the July clashes in Sweida, in which hundreds of people were reported killed, and said all perpetrators would be held accountable. He condemned Israeli strikes carried out the same month as a violation of Syrian sovereignty. Turning to the northeast, the president voiced hope that a landmark 10 March agreement to fold the Kurdish-run autonomous administration into the state structure can still be implemented, averting a military confrontation with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. While Kurdish leaders have signalled support for the deal, Sharaa said their actions on the ground “send opposite signals,” and he warned that tensions have risen as both Syrian troops and SDF fighters reinforce front lines. Sharaa added that Washington and Ankara—both patrons of the integration talks—prefer a negotiated settlement, although Turkey has threatened fresh operations against the SDF if its security concerns are not met. “I am hopeful in a few months we will resolve it,” he said, underscoring that Syria would not relinquish any territory.