Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, condemned what he called Israel’s “flimsy” excuses for its air strikes but said the rebels must not get distracted from rebuilding the country, according to an interview published by the pro-opposition Syria TV.

The Israeli military hit weapons depots and air defenses, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Israel has said it aims to keep military equipment out of the hands of extremists after rebels seized power a week ago.