UN calls on Israel to respect Syrian sovereignty, abide by 1974 Disengagement Agreement

The United Nations has called on Israel to abide by the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and respect Syrian sovereignty, following reports of daily military activity and civilian casualties in the country's southern region.

A UN envoy reported that the activity has continued in the period following the collapse of the Assad regime, pointing to ongoing instability in parts of southern Syria even as the broader political transition in the country unfolds.

A decades-old agreement under renewed attention

The 1974 Disengagement Agreement, signed by Israel and Syria after the 1973 war, established a buffer zone and rules governing military presence in the area. Calls for its observance have resurfaced amid reports of continued Israeli military activity in southern Syria since the fall of the former government.

The envoy's report did not provide a specific casualty count in the material cited, though it described civilian casualties as part of a pattern of daily military activity in the affected areas. The United Nations has not indicated what, if any, further steps it plans to take to press for compliance with the agreement.