Damascus's UN ambassador on Friday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to troops stationed in southern Syria, calling it a breach of sovereignty and international law.
Mr Netanyahu entered Syrian territory on Wednesday and travelled to the summit of Mount Hermon, Ibrahim Olaibi told reporters at UN headquarters, amid what he described as Israel’s continued military presence and repeated incursions into the country.
“Territorial integrity is not negotiable. It is the indispensable pillar of the international system, and the first line of defence against global instability,” Mr Olaibi said. “Undermine it, and the very framework that sustains peace and order crumbles.”
Mr Olaibi, who was joined by representatives of the Arab Group and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, as well as other UN member states said the UN Charter and the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syrian and Israeli forces were “clear and must be respected”.
He warned that Israeli military, political or other actions risked undermining progress made by Syria’s government at a critical stage in the country’s transition.
“Syria's position has also been clear. It has consistently distanced itself from the ongoing regional escalation,” Mr Olaibi said, adding that Damascus had repeatedly stated it would not pose a threat to its neighbours.
During his visit to southern Syria, Mr Netanyahu said Iran's government was close to being toppled as fighting in the six-month Middle East war intensified.
Speaking alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, Mr Netanyahu said Israel's main objective remained bringing down Iran's government and that it was "very close" to achieving that goal.
He also said Israel would not allow what he described as a “terrorist army” to establish itself along its border.
Israeli forces have maintained a presence in a security zone in southern Syria since the fall of the long-time dictator Bashar Al Assad in December 2024.
The troops moved into an area that had previously served as a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces along the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights under a 1974 disengagement agreement.
