Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he is working to keep his country away from the Middle East war, Al Jazeera reports, citing state media SANA.

In a speech delivered after the Eidul Fitr prayer in the presidential palace in Damascus, Sharaa said: “It is important to remember that Syria has always been an arena of conflict and strife during the past 15 years and before that, but today it is in harmony with all neighbouring countries regionally and internationally.”

“What is happening now is a major and rare event in history that we haven’t witnessed since World War II. We are carefully calculating our steps and working to keep Syria away from any conflict, so that it can maintain its path of development and reconstruction,” the president added.