Guterres urges respect for Syria's sovereignty

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg on November 21, 2025, ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit.PHOTO: AFP

DAMASCUS:

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for an end to Israeli violations in Syria and urged international support for the country's transition on his first visit under the new authorities following years of civil war.

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where they deployed in 2024 after the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Guterres is the first UN chief to visit Syria since his predecessor Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the start of Syria's war, which went on to kill more than half a million people before the new Islamist authorities took power.

"We underscore the importance of fully respecting Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity," Guterres told a press conference.

"Violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable and must cease. What is happening in the region around the Golan Heights is totally unacceptable," he said, adding: "I'd like to remind the international community that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory."

After Assad's overthrow, Israel sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan for decades, and has carried out strikes and repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory.

Israeli officials have said they intend to keep forces in a "security zone" in southern Syria.

Shaibani said "the continuation of Israeli military actions and the unlawful occupation of our land beyond the 1974 line is a direct threat to the security of the region".

"We renew our demand for a firm UN position that pushes for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal," he added.