Syria condemns new Israeli “military incursion” in Damascus countryside

Syria’s overseas curate accuses Israel of violating a 1974 statement to beforehand its ‘expansionist and partition plans’.

Syria has condemned a caller “military incursion” by Israel successful the southwestern Damascus countryside country extracurricular the capital, calling it a “grave menace to determination peace”, successful the aftermath of the 2 sides precocious holding talks successful Paris connected de-escalating the struggle successful confederate Syria.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani accused Israel connected Monday of violating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement by establishing quality facilities and subject posts successful demilitarised areas to beforehand its “expansionist and partition plans”.

Al-Shaibani made the remarks astatine an exigency gathering of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) overseas ministers to sermon Israel’s genocidal warfare connected the Gaza Strip.

The latest Israeli subject enactment successful Syria follows deadly clashes successful the Druze-majority Syrian state of Suwayda, wherever a week of sectarian unit successful July killed 1,400 radical earlier a ceasefire enactment an extremity to the bloodshed. Israel carried retired strikes connected Syrian troops and besides bombed the bosom of the capital, Damascus, nether the pretext of protecting the Druze.

Al-Sharaa volition beryllium archetypal Syrian person to code UNGA

In the meantime, it was announced that Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa volition talk astatine the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) successful September, the archetypal Syrian person to bash truthful successful decades, arsenic the nation seeks to rebuild and reengage with the planetary assemblage aft 14 years of ruinous civilian warfare and the autumn of longtime person Bashar al-Assad.

In the much than 50 years that the al-Assad dynasty ruled Syria, neither Hafez al-Assad nor his son, Bashar, ever addressed the yearly gathering of satellite leaders successful New York.

“He volition beryllium the archetypal Syrian president to talk astatine the United Nations since erstwhile President Nureddin al-Atassi (in 1967), and the archetypal Syrian president ever to instrumentality portion successful the General Assembly’s high-level week,” scheduled for September 22-30, a Syrian authoritative told the AFP quality bureau connected Monday.

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa astatine the Presidential Palace successful Damascus, Syria [Khalil Ashawi /Reuters]

Al-Sharaa, who took powerfulness successful December aft starring rebels connected a lightning beforehand to Damascus that toppled al-Assad, remains nether UN sanctions and a question prohibition owed to his past arsenic a fighter, and indispensable petition an exemption for each overseas trips.

In April, al-Shaibani addressed the UN for the archetypal clip and raised his country’s caller emblem astatine the body’s New York headquarters.

Since taking power, Syria’s caller authorities person gained determination and planetary support, some diplomatic and financial, securing captious economical lifelines to reconstruct the devastated country.

Damascus signed 12 agreements worthy $14bn this month, including a $4bn statement with Qatar’s UCC Holding to physique a caller airdrome and a $2bn woody to found a subway successful Damascus with the nationalist concern corp of the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Sharaa met United States President Donald Trump successful May successful Saudi Arabia, a week aft gathering French President Emmanuel Macron successful Paris connected his archetypal travel to the West.

Both the US and the European Union person lifted longstanding sanctions connected Syria.

Syria volition clasp parliamentary elections successful September, a week earlier the UNGA meeting.

They volition beryllium the archetypal to instrumentality spot nether the country’s caller authorities aft the autumn of erstwhile al-Assad. One-third of the 210 seats volition beryllium appointed by interim al-Sharaa, with the remainder to beryllium elected.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies