Middle East
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa meeting in Cairo on March 4, 2025. Photo: Syrian presidency
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said on Tuesday that he “strongly” condemns Israel’s recent attacks on Syria, urging Israel to “cease violations.”
Pedersen “strongly condemns Israel’s ongoing military escalations in Syria, including airstrikes,” read a statement attributed to the envoy.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday launched an airstrike on a military site in northwestern Syria, stating that the target belonged to the ousted Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Qardaha, the targeted place, in Syria’s Latakia province, is not only the hometown of the Assad family, which ruled Syria from 1970 to 2024, but is also considered the heartland of the Alawite religious sect.
“Such actions are unacceptable and risk further destabilizing an already fragile situation, heightening regional tensions, and undermining efforts toward de-escalation,” Pedersen added, calling on Israel “to cease violations, uphold its international obligations, and refrain from unilateral measures that exacerbate conflict.”
Earlier in the day, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met in Cairo, with the UN chief expressing his concern about “violations” of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria, which aims at maintaining a ceasefire already in effect.
Israel used to frequently attack Syria before the fall of Assad’s regime on December 8 on the grounds of targeting Iran’s interests in the country.
Guterres also emphasized in his first meeting with Sharaa that there needs to be an inclusive transition in Syria.
“The Secretary-General pledged UN support to the country's recovery and to the people of Syria to meet their humanitarian needs,” stated a readout from the UN chief’s office.
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