Russia calls for immediate Israeli withdrawal from occupied Syrian territories

Moscow's envoy Vasily Nebenzya accuses Israel of exploiting political uncertainty to expand territorial control

Israeli tanks in the occupied Golan Heights in Syria. EPA

Russia has called for an immediate Israeli drawdown from occupied Syrian territories, including the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, as tension escalates in the region.

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria, Russian envoy Vasily Nebenzya accused Israel of exploiting political uncertainty to expand its territorial control.

“Israel, amid the tumult, has completely destroyed military and defence capabilities of Syria and has expanded the area of its occupation of the Golan Heights,” he said. “These are illegal actions ... they fly in the face of international law and there's no justification for this kind of action.”

Mr Nebenzya emphasised the urgent need for Israel to comply with the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which was reaffirmed by Damascus, to allow Syrian forces to return to their positions near the border with Israel.

UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pederson, expressed deep concern over the continuing Israeli military presence and activity in the country, which extends beyond the area of separation designated in the 1974 accord.

Israeli troops invade demilitarised zone in Golan Heights amid rising tension

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“Restrictions on Undof's [UN Disengagement Observer Force] freedom of movement imposed by the IDF [Israeli military] should be lifted without delay,” he said. “Attacks on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop.”

He warned that such breaches, along with Israeli air strikes in other parts of Syria – reported even last week in Aleppo – could further jeopardise the prospects of an orderly political transition.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has held a phone call with Syria's interim leader Ahmad Al Shara, Moscow said on Wednesday.

“Vladimir Putin wished success to Ahmad Al Shara in solving the tasks facing the new leadership of the country for the benefit of the Syrian people,” the Kremlin said in a readout, adding that Mr Putin emphasised his support for Syria's “territorial integrity”.

According to the Syrian Presidency, Mr Putin, a close ally of ousted leader Bashar Al Assad, extended "an official invitation to Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani to visit Russia".

US deputy ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, told council members that President Donald Trump's administration is concerned by reports of newly formed groups in Syria that are inciting violence, including “by seeking to draw Israel into direct conflict”.

“These groups are reportedly receiving financial and logistical support from Iran, even after Iran's departure from Syria,” she said. "The warning signs of Iran's nefarious influence and intent to re-establish its presence in Syria are clear."

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces open a gate of Al Hol detention camp in north-eastern Syria, where tens of thousands of mostly women and children linked to ISIS have been living for years. AP

Ms Shea urged the council to collectively demand that Iran cease undermining Syria's stability and security.

She also highlighted the troubling armed hostilities in northern Syria and reaffirmed Washington's commitment to pursuing a ceasefire to enable local US partners to focus on combating ISIS, and “maintain security of detention facilities and displaced person camps since the territorial defeat” of the group.

However, Ms Shea warned that US assistance for managing and securing north-eastern Syrian camps housing ISIS-linked prisoners “cannot last forever".

She emphasised that the US has borne too much of the burden for too long and declared that the camps' financial responsibility cannot remain solely with Washington. She urged countries to “expeditiously repatriate their displaced and detained nationals who remain in the region".