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Syria’s transitional gov’t calls on UN to compel Israel to stop attacks
In a letter addressed to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Syria’s permanent representative to the UN Qusay al-Dahhak condemned the Israeli attacks, terming them as a “serious violation” of Syria’s sovereignty, the UN charter and security council resolutions, and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two countries.
“Syria renews its call on the United Nations and the Security Council to assume their responsibilities and take firm and immediate measures to compel Israel to immediately stop its ongoing attacks on Syrian territory, ensure that they are not repeated,” read the letter.
Dahhak also urged the UN to pressure Israel to “immediately withdraw from the areas it has penetrated over the past few days, and to fully abide by the Disengagement Agreement and the UNDOF mandate,” referring to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force peacekeeping mission which is tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between the two countries.
On December 8, the same day that the Syrian militants announced the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, Israel launched a fresh offensive in Syria, carrying out hundreds of airstrikes across various parts of the country and seizing the UN buffer zone in the Golan Heights.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the 1974 agreement has “collapsed” after the Syrian soldiers abandoned their positions, claiming that Israeli troops moved into the zone to prevent “hostile forces” from establishing themselves at the border.
Israel has continued its attacks on Syria since, and reportedly struck around 20 sites belonging to the Syrian army in different parts of Syria on Friday evening, including Damascus, Suwayda, Latakia, and others.
Regional countries, including Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, have condemned the Israeli attacks and seizure of the UN-patrolled buffer zone, deeming it a violation of international law. The United States on the other hand has defended Israel’s actions.