ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Abu Mohammed al-Julani, commander-in-chief of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on Thursday urged Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to not get involved in the conflict in Syria, stressing that they seek strategic ties with Baghdad.

In a private parliament session on Wednesday, Sudani stated that Iraq will not “stand by and watch” what is happening in Syria, but emphasized that they do not want to drag Iraq into a war that would compromise the political process in the country and “take 45 million [people] into the unknown.”

A video published by HTS-affiliated media on Thursday saw Julani reacting to Sudani’s comments and addressing the concerns Iraq authorities have raised regarding the rise of anti-government groups in Syria and their repercussions on Iraq.

"There is a lot of concerns and delusions among Iraqi politicians that what is happening in Syria will spill into Iraq. I say, decisively say that this is100 percent false," said the HTS chief.

“Just as Iraq and Mr. Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani succeeded in evading the war between Iran and the region in recent times, we would appreciate if he also manages to keep Iraq out of a new war with what is happening Syria,” he added.

Julani said that the current events in Syria is a revolution of an oppressed people under a “criminal regime” and their self-defense, stressing that the conflict does not concern Iraq.

“This revolution has nothing to do with what is happening Iraq. On the contrary, it is one that aspires to establish strategic economic and political relations and social ties, which we develop after the establishment of a new Syria, God willing, after the removal of this criminal regime.”

Julani urged Iraqi authorities, primarily Sudani, to stay out of the conflict and prevent the deployment of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to support the “waning regime.”

Rebel groups take Hama

The Syrian opposition coalition Military Operations Command, led by the HTS, on Thursday announced they had taken over the central city of Hama after days of intense clashes with the Syrian army and allied forces. It is the second major city the groups have seized since the start of the campaign eight days ago.

In a video statement on Thursday, Julani said that the groups have entered the city of Hama “to clean a wound that has been ongoing in Syria for 40 years,” referring to the 1982 Hama massacre, during which the Syrian army killed tens of thousands of people in the town, in an attempt to quell the Muslim Brotherhood uprising against the government of Hafez al-Assad, father of the incumbent President Bashar al-Assad.

Soon after entering Hama, rebel commander Hassan Abdulghani said that the anti-government forces have entered Hama Central Prison and released hundreds of prisoners.

The Syrian army officially announced its withdrawal from Hama, labelling it a “redeployment” of its forces and repositioning them outside of the city - a term the army also used when it withdrew from Aleppo.

The recent upsurge in violence in Syria has so far claimed the lives of over 700 people, according to a war monitor.