"The Golan will remain Syrian territory": Charaa warns Israel at the UN

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that the Golan Heights "will remain Syrian territory," while several states have recently taken positions on the status of the territory annexed by Israel.

In his speech, the Syrian head of state recalled Damascus' historic position on the Golan, part of which has been occupied by Israel since 1967 and was formally annexed by the Jewish state in 1981, an annexation not recognized by the majority of the international community.

A changing diplomatic context

This clarification comes at a time when Colombia recently recognized Israel's annexation of the Golan, thus joining the position adopted by the United States under the Trump administration. This diplomatic development further isolates the Syrian position on the international scene regarding this territorial issue.

Ahmed al-Sharaa also denounced the Israeli military operations carried out on Syrian territory since the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, describing them as a threat to the stability of the country at a time when Damascus is seeking to rebuild its institutions.

Neither the Israeli government nor the US administration immediately reacted to the Syrian president's remarks. The Golan Heights remains one of the longest-running sticking points in the Arab-Israeli conflict.