Israel must stop airstrikes on Syria, says UN chief

KABUL (Pajhwok): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Israeli airstrikes on Syria, calling them violations of the country’s sovereignty and demanding they “must stop.”

Since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government earlier this month, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes, claiming they target strategic weapons and military infrastructure.

“Syria's sovereignty, territorial unity, and integrity must be fully restored, and all acts of aggression must come to an immediate end,” Guterres told reporters.

He emphasized that no military forces, other than UN peacekeepers, should be present in the area of separation.

"Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force,” Guterres added.

The UN chief stated that the United Nations is focused on facilitating an "inclusive, credible, and peaceful" political transition in Syria while addressing the country’s severe humanitarian crisis, Reuters reported

“This is a decisive moment—a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty,” he said, cautioning that some actors may attempt to exploit the situation for their own benefit.

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