Syrian ministers discuss Israeli presence in south with UN delegation
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In a separate context, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced on Wednesday that its fighters had repelled attacks carried out by Turkiye and its allied Syrian groups in northern and eastern Syria.
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Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and Defense Minister Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra meet with a UN delegation, on January 29 (SANA)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and Defense Minister Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra met with a UN delegation, addressing the issue of the illegal Israeli presence in southern Syria, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on Wednesday.
The UN delegation was led by Ambassador Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Major General Patrick Gouesla, Acting Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), SANA mentioned.
During the meeting, it was emphasized that Syria is fully prepared to cooperate with the United Nations and assert its positions along the borders in accordance with the 1974 mandate, provided that there is an immediate Israeli withdrawal.
For its part, UNDOF reaffirmed its full commitment to resolving this issue and restoring stability to the border and the wider region.
UNDOF also expressed its readiness to support demining operations, ensure the quality of essential services, and coordinate efforts between relevant authorities and organizations working to clear explosives and remnants of war, contributing to a safer Syria.
This comes as Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israeli forces that seized strategic positions in southern Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime will remain stationed at the summit of Mount Hermon indefinitely.
During a visit to the Israeli troops in the area, Katz emphasized that "Israel" would not permit what he described as hostile forces to establish a presence in southern Syria.
Mount Hermon, a vast cluster of snowcapped peaks overlooking the Syria-Lebanon border, provides a strategic vantage point over the Damascus countryside and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; a Syrian territory "Israel" occupied during the 1967 war.
"Israel" has stated that its troops have taken up positions within a UN-monitored demilitarized zone inside Syria, with some units advancing beyond it.
Israeli officials have previously claimed these deployments were limited and part of temporary measures to safeguard Israeli security.
However, "Israel’s" military presence in Syrian territory has drawn criticism from multiple countries and the United Nations, which has called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces, citing violations of international agreements.
In December 2024, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the occupied Syrian Golan Heights were Israeli "for eternity".
Netanyahu has also instructed the military to prepare to remain in the Syrian Mount Hermon area and the UN-patrolled buffer zone until at least the end of 2025.
The premier emphasized that Israeli forces would remain stationed there "until another solution ensuring Israel's security is found."
SDF says repelled attacks carried out by Turkiye, allied groups
In a separate context, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Wednesday that its fighters had repelled attacks carried out by Turkiye and its allied Syrian groups on areas under their control in northern and eastern Syria.
The SDF Media Center stated that "the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries" continued their attacks on the northern countryside of Tishreen Dam.
On Tuesday, they shelled the vicinity of the dam with heavy artillery for several hours, but the bombardment did not result in any damages or losses among our forces, the statement said.
In response to the attacks, "SDF fighters launched operations against mercenary positions in both Nowruz and Qara Qwzak Hills."
The statement added that SDF fighters targeted "Turkish occupation bases and its mercenaries in the village of Imo Tomb, killing five and wounding 10 others."
Meanwhile, 12 were killed or wounded in another SDF operation that targeted the al-Hawshriya base, the group said.
The statement further noted that the Turkish occupation resumed airstrikes on several villages near the Qara Qwzak Bridge, bombing the villages of Ghasaq, al-Tineh, Bir Hisso, Melha, Dekan, and Qara Qwzaq, as well as the Serrin Airport and Saifi Hill south of Kobani, with over 180 artillery shells, resulting in significant material damage.
On Tuesday, the SDF Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, stated that "Syria’s new administration must work to halt Turkish attacks on northern and eastern Syria."
