Syria's al-Sharaa warns Israeli attacks endanger post-war recovery at UN

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that Israeli attacks on his country were endangering its fragile recovery from civil war, demanding that Israel withdraw from internationally recognised Syrian territory.

Addressing the 81st session in New York — his second address to the General Debate since he took power in 2024 after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad’s regime — al-Sharaa asserted that Israel had carried out “500 air strikes, more than 1,200 incursions and 300 detentions” in Syria. “We reject Israeli attempts to impose a fait accompli,” he said. “It is reminiscent of [an] era that we thought was long gone.”

He insisted the Golan Heights “will remain Syrian territory”, declaring annexation measures null and void under UN Security Council resolution 497 of 1981, which declared Israel’s annexation of the area null and void.

Al-Sharaa reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement establishing the UN observer force UNDOF, while saying a “historic opportunity for peace” existed — “a just peace that preserves the rights of all”.

He also cited the voluntary and dignified return of more than three and a half million displaced people and refugees.

Sources

• Al Jazeera — Syria’s al-Sharaa warns Israeli attacks endanger delicate post-war recovery
• UN News — Syria begins ‘new phase of revival’, President Al-Sharaa tells General Assembly
• i24 News — Syria’s Al-Sharaa at the UN: ‘The Golan will remain Syrian territory’