UN Secretary-General António Guterres, during a visit to the Syrian capital, stated that the Golan Heights is Syrian territory and described Israeli actions as unacceptable, according to Israeli media reports. Guterres is in Damascus for talks with Syrian leadership.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Israeli actions as unacceptable during his visit to Damascus on Saturday, according to Israeli media reports. The condemnation came as part of a series of statements by the UN chief reiterating the organization's position on the Golan Heights, which he described as Syrian territory. The remarks were the latest in a sequence of diplomatic engagements during his first visit to Syria since 2009.
Guterres arrived in the Syrian capital on Saturday morning and was received by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani (Version 1, 08:25 Jerusalem). He later met with Syrian de facto leader Abu Muhammad al-Jolani (Version 3, 08:25 Jerusalem). In subsequent statements, Guterres declared that the United Nations 'unequivocally recognizes the Golan Heights as belonging to Syria' and vowed to continue working for recognition of Syrian sovereignty (Version 4, 08:25 Jerusalem). He was later quoted as saying, 'What belongs to Syrians belongs to Syrians – and we cannot take it from them' (Version 5, 08:25 Jerusalem). The UN has long maintained that the Golan is occupied Syrian territory, but the visit marked the highest-level engagement with post-Assad leadership.
As The Zioneer reported previously, Guterres has taken a firm stance on Israeli actions in the region. On June 14, he strongly condemned Israeli strikes on Beirut as a ceasefire violation, and on June 9 he urged an immediate halt to attacks and full respect for ceasefires across the Middle East. The visit to Damascus was announced on July 21, with plans to meet President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
The specific Israeli actions that drew Guterres' condemnation during the visit were not detailed in the reports. The UN's position on the Golan has been consistent for decades, but the diplomatic timing and the context of the post-Assad transition remain points of tension.
6 developments
- DevelopingUN chief Guterres condemns Israeli strikes on Beirut as ceasefire violation
- DevelopingUN Secretary-General to visit Syria this week, meet President al-Sharaa
- DevelopingUN chief Guterres urges immediate halt to Middle East attacks, full respect for ceasefires
- DevelopingSyrian President al-Sharaa meets UN Secretary-General Guterres
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