ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and 11 other Muslim-majority countries on Friday called for international action to halt Israeli attacks on Syria and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied areas, days after Israel struck a Syrian air base amid growing tensions with Türkiye over its military role in the country.
The joint statement came three days after eight Israeli airstrikes hit the runway and storage facilities at the Abu Al-Duhur military air base in northwestern Syria, in the first Israeli attack on Syrian government facilities since March. Israel has linked its concerns about the base to the prospect of Turkish forces deploying there, while Ankara has rejected Israeli claims and warned against interference in Syria.
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Algeria, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Somalia “strongly condemn” the strikes, calling them “an extreme escalation and a flagrant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity.
“The Ministers call upon the international community to adopt a firm, clear and principled position in the face of the continued aggression against Syria,” the statement circulated by Pakistan’s foreign office said.
They called for “concrete steps” under international law and the UN Charter to end the violations, ensure respect for the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied Syrian areas.
The 1974 agreement, reached after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, established a UN-monitored buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
Israeli forces moved into the buffer zone and other positions in Syrian territory after the government of longtime President Bashar Assad collapsed in December 2024. Israel has said its deployments are necessary to protect its security and has repeatedly struck military targets in Syria since Assad’s fall.
Friday’s statement also comes after Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani visited Islamabad, the first visit by Syria’s top diplomat to Pakistan in nearly two decades, as the two countries seek to rebuild ties following Assad’s overthrow.
During the visit, Pakistan reaffirmed its support for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while the two sides agreed to revive their joint ministerial committee, restore direct flights and expand trade and investment links.
Al-Shaibani also said Syria wanted peaceful relations with Israel but would not accept attempts by Israel to dictate its alliances or prevent it from developing relations with other countries.
The 12 foreign ministers said repeated attacks risked undermining Syria’s efforts to restore security and rebuild institutions after more than a decade of war.
They called for respect for Syria’s “sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and political unity” and rejected attempts to undermine them.
