Syrian president urges Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa affirmed at the UN General Assembly that the Golan Heights will remain under Syrian control, rebuking Colombia's recent recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory. He declared at the UN meeting in New York that any actions contravening Syrian sovereignty, which violate international law, will be thwarted.

The Golan Heights, captured by Israel from Syria in 1967, has been recognized as Israeli since 1981 by the United States. However, the UN has consistently maintained that the plateau is Syrian territory under Israeli military occupation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently reiterated that the Golan Heights are part of Syria, describing Israeli occupation as "totally unacceptable."

In his second address to the UN, al-Sharaa also criticized repeated Israeli strikes on Syria since the end of the Assad dictatorship, noting over 500 air strikes, more than 1,200 incursions, and 300 detentions. This aggression, al-Sharaa argued, contradicts the global trend and resembles a return to an era long past.