UN chief condemns Israel strikes on Syria: spokesman

The Syrian Defense Ministry building sits heavily damaged after alleged Israeli airstrikes in Damascus, July 16, 2025. (AP)
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Updated 16 July 2025
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UN chief condemns Israel strikes on Syria: spokesman

  • The Secretary-General further condemns Israel’s escalatory airstrikes on Suweida and Daraa

UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Israel’s air strikes on Syria Wednesday as the country puts pressure on Damascus to protect the Druze minority following clashes.

“The Secretary-General further condemns Israel’s escalatory airstrikes on Suweida, Daraa and in the center of Damascus, as well as reports of the IDF’s redeployment of forces in the Golan,” Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.


US envoy Waltz begins regional trip to promote Trump Gaza peace plan

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US envoy Waltz begins regional trip to promote Trump Gaza peace plan

  • High-level talks in Jordan, Israel part of Washington’s push to advance regional stability, US mission says
  • Envoy will also meet humanitarian groups and review efforts to support Syrian refugees

NEW YORK: US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz begins a trip to Jordan and Israel on Saturday to promote President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, the US Mission to the UN said, casting the visit as part of Washington’s push to advance regional stability and support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Waltz will travel from Dec. 6–10 and is expected to meet senior leaders in both countries. In Jordan, he will hold talks with King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on bilateral cooperation and Amman’s role in facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza.
He will also meet humanitarian groups and review efforts to support Syrian refugees, the mission said.
In Israel, Waltz is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to discuss US-Israel coordination at the UN and shared security priorities. He will tour Israel’s northern and southern borders for briefings on the implementation of Resolution 2803, visit the Kerem Shalom crossing to assess aid flows into Gaza, and review operations of the Coordination and Monitoring Mechanism for Gaza.
Waltz will also meet Acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov to discuss humanitarian work and efforts to advance peace.
The mission said the trip reflects Trump’s commitment to ending regional conflicts and securing a “peaceful and prosperous future” for the Middle East.