Al Shara calls for Israeli withdrawal from Syria at Arab League summit

Syria's new leader attended an Arab League summit in Cairo to discuss Egypt's plan for rebuilding Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greets Syria's interim President Ahmad Al Shara before the emergency Arab League summit in Cairo on Tuesday. Palestinian President Office via Reuters

Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara on Tuesday called on the international community to pressure Israel to "immediately" withdraw its troops from southern Syria.

"We urge the international community to uphold its legal and moral commitments by supporting Syria's rights and pressuring Israel to immediately withdraw from southern Syria," Mr Al Shara said at an emergency Arab League summit in Cairo to review an Egyptian plan for the postwar reconstruction and governance of Gaza.

He was attending his first Arab League meeting after rebel forces led by his Hayat Tahrir Al Sham group toppled former president Bashar Al Assad in December. Israel sent its troops into southern Syria days after the rebels seized power and has carried out repeated air strikes on what it said were weapons storage sites of the former regime.

Mr Al Shara said the "hostile [Israeli] expansion is not only a violation of Syrian sovereignty, but also a direct threat to security and peace in the entire region".

"Since its occupation of the Syrian Golan in 1967, Israel has not ceased its violations of our people's rights," he said. "We remain committed to the 1974 disengagement agreement and cannot accept Israel's continued disregard for this agreement."

Addressing the issue of Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas ended 15 months of a devastating Israeli military offensive, Mr Al Shara said: "Today, we witness new attempts to impose solutions aimed at redrawing geographical maps at the expense of Palestinian blood.

"The uprooting of the Palestinian people from their land is unacceptable and it is time for us, as Arabs, to stand together against these schemes. Syria has always been and remains a part of this great Arab home, and its return to the Arab League is a historic moment that reflects the desire to strengthen Arab solidarity," he said.

Israel's actions in Syria were also condemned by the UN envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Tuesday.

Mr Pedersen said he was "deeply concerned by continued violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement", which stipulates that Syria and Israel observe and maintain a ceasefire and refrain from military action against each other.

The Israeli army on Monday said it had attacked a site in Syria where arms belonging to the Assad regime were being stored.

Such actions, Mr Pedersen warned, "are unacceptable and risk further destabilising an already fragile situation, heightening regional tensions, and undermining efforts toward de-escalation and a sustainable political transition".

He called on Israel to cease breaches of the agreement, uphold its international obligations and refrain from measures that exacerbate conflict. He also urged all parties to respect Syria's sovereignty.

With reporting from Adla Massoud at the UN.