GENEVA: The United Nations envoy for the Syrian Arab Republic on Tuesday strongly condemned Israel’s “military escalations, including airstrikes” on its northern neighbor.
Syrian state media said Israeli strikes hit the Tartus area on Monday, after a war monitor reported a blast near the city’s port and the Israeli army said it struck a “military site” further north.
That came after Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes after a lightning Islamist-led offensive ousted president Bashar Assad in December, in what it said was a bid to prevent Syrian military assets from falling into hostile hands.
It also sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that has separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the strategic Golan Heights since 1974.
UN envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said Tuesday he was “deeply concerned by continued violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.”
Such actions, he warned in a statement, “are unacceptable and risk further destabilising an already fragile situation, heightening regional tensions, and undermining efforts toward de-escalation and a sustainable political transition.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that southern Syria must be completely demilitarised, warning that his government would not accept the presence of the forces of the new Syrian Islamist-led government near its territory.
Even before Assad’s fall, during Syria’s civil war which broke out in 2011, Israel carried out hundreds of strikes in the neighboring country, mainly on government forces and Iranian-linked targets.
The same day Assad was ousted, Israel said its troops were entering the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights.
Israel seized much of the Golan Heights from Syria in a war in 1967, later annexing the area in a move largely unrecognized by the international community.
Pedersen’s statement called on Israel “to cease violations, uphold its international obligations, and refrain from unilateral measures that exacerbate conflict.”
It urged “all parties to respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity.”
“Constructive dialogue and strict adherence to international agreements and international law are essential for security in Syria and the broader region.”
UN envoy slams Israel’s ‘unacceptable’ Syria escalation
https://arab.news/nzb7v
UN envoy slams Israel’s ‘unacceptable’ Syria escalation
- UN envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said Tuesday he was “deeply concerned by continued violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.”
- Such actions, he warned in a statement, “are unacceptable and risk further destabilising an already fragile situation“
Syrian authorities repair Deir Ezzor airport runway to prepare for resuming flights
- Airport has been out of service for more than a decade because of civil war
LONDON: Syrian authorities are repairing key infrastructure at Deir Ezzor Civil Airport ahead of flights being resumed. Government forces have been in control of northeastern Syria since January.
Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport announced on Monday that technical and engineering teams are repairing the runway, essential facilities, and rebuilding the airport’s perimeter fence to meet international safety and security standards.
The airport has been out of service for more than a decade due to the civil war in the country, which damaged infrastructure, including several bridges in northeastern Syria, where towns are next to the Euphrates River.
The Syrian government regained control over the region from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces through an agreement in January that established a ceasefire and outlined a phased integration of military and administrative structures.
On Sunday, Syrian authorities took over security responsibilities at Qamishli airport in Hasaka Province, northeastern Syria, as part of the agreement with the SDF.
