Syria's Sharaa Tells UN Golan Heights Annexation 'Null,' Calls for Israeli Withdrawal

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa told the United Nations General Assembly that the Golan Heights remains Syrian territory and that any decisions to annex the area are null under UN resolutions.

Addressing the assembly, Sharaa said Damascus remains committed to the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel, which established a UN-monitored buffer zone in the Golan Heights following the 1973 war.

Sharaa called for Israel to withdraw its forces to the lines held before December 8, 2024, a date that appears to reference territorial changes following the collapse of the previous Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian president's remarks reflect continuity in Damascus's official position on the Golan Heights, a plateau Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by the UN or most of the international community.

Sharaa's address at the General Assembly marks one of his most prominent appearances on the international stage as Syria's new leadership seeks to define its foreign policy positions, including on long-standing disputes with Israel, before the global body.