Damascus - New York: Europe and the Arabs
Most members of the UN Security Council called for Israel to halt its attacks on Syria, during an emergency session of the Council called for by Damascus.
During the session, members expressed their concern about the ongoing events in Sweida, southern Syria, stressing the need to preserve the country's unity, integrity, and sovereignty.
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle Eastern, Asian, and Pacific Affairs, said that Israel's actions undermine efforts to build a new Syria reconciled with itself and the region.
For his part, Turkey's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ahmet Yildiz, stated that Israel's ongoing aggression against Syria undermines its reconstruction efforts, saying, "Israel's military interventions and provocative statements threaten the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
In his remarks, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, condemned the Israeli attacks on Syria, stressing that Moscow consistently supports Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity. China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, also criticized the Israeli airstrikes on Syria, calling on Israel to halt them immediately and withdraw from Syrian territory, including the Golan Heights, as soon as possible. The UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, Khaled Khiari, warned that Syria is facing another cycle of violence that jeopardizes its path toward a peaceful, credible, orderly, and inclusive political transition. According to the UN daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received this Friday morning, it added, "This came during an emergency meeting held by the Security Council on Thursday evening at Syria's request following a series of Israeli airstrikes on its territory. Algeria and Somalia supported the meeting.
In his briefing to the meeting, Khiari noted that the mutual kidnappings in the Druze-majority province of Sweida in southern Syria had escalated into armed clashes between Bedouin tribes and local Druze armed groups. The Syrian authorities then deployed security forces to stop the clashes, and the ensuing fighting resulted in hundreds of casualties among both Damascus-backed security forces and Druze fighters.
Khiari quoted the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs as saying that civilians caught up in the ongoing violence face grave risks, with large numbers displaced and reports of damage to vital infrastructure.
The UN official said, "I reiterate the Secretary-General's unequivocal condemnation of all acts of violence against civilians, including all acts that fuel sectarian tensions and deny the Syrian people the opportunity for peace and reconciliation." After 14 years of brutal conflict.
He stated that he had taken note of the statement by the Syrian Presidential Office condemning the violations and committing to investigating them and holding those responsible accountable. He called on the Syrian authorities to "ensure that this investigation is transparent, complies with international standards, and is completed swiftly."
He urged all parties to ensure the continued protection of civilians, including by allowing them to move freely in search of safety and medical assistance, as well as protecting infrastructure.