KEY POINTS
- Guterres condemns Israeli airstrikes on Syrian military sites as violations of Syria’s sovereignty.
- The UN chief criticizes Israeli forces for entering a UN-patrolled demilitarized zone.
- Guterres highlights a “flame of hope” in Syria but warns of challenges.
- Suggests considering easing sanctions on Syria during its transition period.
- The UN aims to facilitate aid delivery and tackle Syria’s humanitarian crisis.
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday underlined that Israel’s widespread strikes on Syrian military infrastructure were “violations” of the country’s sovereignty and called for them to cease.
Following the fall of Assad’s government, Israel unleashed air strikes on military sites, including the country’s air force, navy and weapons stockpiles.
“Syria’s sovereignty, territorial unity, and integrity must be fully restored, and all acts of aggression must come to an immediate end,” Guterres told reporters ahead of a UN Security Council meeting chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“Extensive Israeli air strikes continue. These are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Guterres said.
The UN chief said that there was a “flame of hope” in Syria following the fall of president Bashar al-Assad’s regime but warned of significant challenges ahead.
“The Middle East is being consumed by many fires, but today, there is a flame of hope in Syria, and that flame must not be extinguished,” Guterres said.
“The people of Syria stand at the moment of history and the moment of opportunity, and that opportunity cannot be missed.”
Guterres Condemns Israeli Actions
Guterres also condemned Israel for pushing its forces into a UN-run buffer zone on its border with Syria following the fall of Assad.
Israeli troops also moved into a demilitarised zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that is patrolled by UN peacekeepers.
“Let me be clear, there should be no military forces in the area of separation other than UN peacekeepers — period,” he said.
“Those peacekeepers must have freedom of movement to undertake their important work. Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement which remains fully in force.”
Prospect of Sanctions on Syria
He said the United Nations is focused on facilitating an “inclusive, credible and peaceful” political transition in Syria and getting aid moving to combat one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world.
“This is a decisive moment – a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty,” he said.
Some players might try to exploit the situation for their own ends, Guterres said.
Guterres also raised the prospect of the international community making a first step towards easing sanctions in force on Syria.
“We should not forget that the sanctions were applied to the Assad regime. The situation has changed. Obviously, we are in the process of transition. And in the process of transition, I think there is work to be done by both sides,” he said.
“(But) there should be at least a first gesture — a first gesture showing solidarity with the Syrian people until conditions are met for all sanctions to be removed.”
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took over Damascus in a lightning offensive and has promised to protect minorities since it toppled Assad this month.
But the international community has been in no rush to lift sanctions on either Syria or members of HTS, waiting to see how the new authorities exercise their power.
