Syria has emerged as a "symbol of stability" while war rages across the Middle East, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday after visiting the country.
Mr Guterres said he had noticed a "profound sense of hope" on the first visit by a UN chief to Syria in 17 years. In the intervening time the country was torn apart by civil war.
Since the war ended with Bashar Al Assad's removal from power in 2024, conflicts in Iran, Lebanon and beyond have given Syria an air of calm that until recently would have seemed improbable. However, internal clashes and attacks by Israel have limited the new government's ambitions.
"You have the Americans and Israel bombarding Iran. Simultaneously you have the Iranians bombarding all the countries of the region," Mr Guterres said. "In the middle of this mess, Syria remains a symbol of stability."
During his visit, he described Israel's presence in the UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights, which Israeli forces have occupied since the fall of Mr Al Assad, as “unacceptable”. He said on Sunday that a report on Israeli breaches would be presented to the UN Security Council within days.
“What is happening in the region around the Golan Heights is totally unacceptable,” Mr Guterres said at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani, during what he described as a "deeply meaningful and productive visit".
Mr Guterres's visit marks another milestone for Syria's new leadership as it seeks international support to rebuild after more than a decade of civil war, while facing Israeli military incursions in the south. Since 2024, Israeli forces have advanced deeper into Syrian territory, demolishing homes, establishing checkpoints, building military bases and carrying out raids on civilian houses.
Mr Guterres was received at Damascus International Airport by the Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani before meeting President Ahmad Al Shara at the presidential palace in Damascus. He also visited the notorious Sednaya prison, where the Assad regime tortured inmates.
“No country emerges from a very severe conflict and rebuilds itself on its own,” Mr Guterres said after the talks with Mr Al Shara. “We must help Syria in its determination and resolve to do so,” he added.
Mr Shibani also lauded the visit, which he said carried “profound implications” and reflected Syria's transition into an active member of the UN.
He said conversations with Mr Guterres centred on reconstruction efforts. “The priority now is reconstruction, which requires lifting all restrictions,” he said in a media conference with Mr Guterres. “We are working to create a legislative environment that will move us from a phase of aid to one of sustainable development.”
UN recovery projects
The UN maintained links with the Assad regime and adhered to its conditions on providing aid and projects. That happened despite mass transgressions in regions the regime controlled during the civil war, as well as the use of chemical weapons in rebel-held areas.
The UN Security Council in February lifted sanctions on Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which led the rebel offensive that overthrew Mr Al Assad in December 2024. The decision came after a US diplomatic drive and moves by Mr Al Shara to open channels with countries that supported the former regime, particularly Russia.
A Syrian official told The National this week that Mr Guterres and Mr Al Shara would discuss the acceleration of UN recovery projects and a more active role for the world body's Disengagement Observer Force, which operates on the edge of the occupied Golan Heights.
Israel occupied more territory in the area after the downfall of the Assad regime and Israeli troops conduct regular incursions into Syrian territory.
“The UN projects provide hard currency Syria is in dire need of,” the official said. Damascus has told UN agencies they can continue to operate as long as they stop dealing with and hiring associates of the former regime, the official added.
Two thirds of Syria’s 23 million population need humanitarian help, while 5.5 million remain internally displaced, UN data shows. Recovery “will depend on sustained funding and safe conditions”, organisation said.
US efforts to forge a peace deal between Syria and Israel appear to have faltered in recent months, with Damascus adopting a tougher stance towards the country and its incursions.
In 1973, Syria launched a war to regain the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967. A year later, Henry Kissinger, US secretary of state at the time, oversaw a deal under which a UN-mandated buffer zone was established between the two sides, keeping Israel in control of the Golan and restricting the type of forces and weapons that Syria could have in the area.
Shortly after the downfall of the Assad regime, Israel advanced beyond the 1974 line and established a de facto security zone. The area spans parts of Deraa, rural Damascus and Quneitra.
