- विज्ञापन -
United Nations: On December 20, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel to cease its violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. During a press conference, he condemned Israel’s airstrikes in Syria, which target military infrastructure and strategic weapons, as well as the Israeli military’s entry into a demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Guterres emphasized that only UN peacekeepers should operate in the separation zone and that these peacekeepers need unrestricted movement to fulfill their duties. He reminded both Israel and Syria to adhere to the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains in effect.
“This is a decisive moment—full of hope for the future but also marked by significant uncertainty,” said Guterres. He cautioned that some may exploit the current situation for their own agendas and stressed that the international community has a responsibility to support the suffering people of Syria.
Following a sudden offensive that recently ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes in the region. Israeli troops also temporarily occupied a demilitarized area that had been established after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and is under UN peacekeeper supervision. Israeli officials have characterized this military presence as a temporary security measure, without providing a timeline for withdrawal.
Additionally, the International Commission on Missing Persons reported that they have data suggesting the existence of around 66 yet-to-be-verified mass grave sites in Syria, with over 150,000 individuals reported missing, according to various organizations, including the UN and the Syrian Network for Human Rights. The civil war has displaced millions and resulted from Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.
