Türkiye has called on Israel to stop its military incursions into Syria and to respect the 1974 disengagement agreement, telling the United Nations Security Council on October 12 that Israeli actions are undermining Syria's stability and economic recovery.
Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN, Ahmet Yıldız, described the situation in southern Syria as particularly alarming and said Israeli actions were spiralling out of control. "These reckless acts must stop," he told the council.
Concern over Quneitra
Yıldız pointed in particular to renewed Israeli activity along what he called the "Sufa 53 line" in Quneitra province, which he characterised as an attempt to undermine the 1974 agreement and create new facts on the ground.
The 1974 disengagement accord, reached after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, established a UN-monitored buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights. Israel moved troops into the buffer zone and nearby positions after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government on December 8, 2024. Israel says the deployments are needed for its security, while Damascus has demanded a withdrawal.
The Turkish envoy also called on Israel to pull out of the occupied Syrian Golan and to comply with Security Council resolutions, notably Resolution 497, which declared Israel's 1981 extension of its laws to the Golan null and void.
Stability and refugee returns
Yıldız argued that Syria needs stability to rebuild its economy, attract investment and take part in regional energy and transport projects, adding that a sovereign and united Syria able to secure its borders would also serve Israel's interests.
He welcomed the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces, saying it opened a new phase of integration, and urged that the remaining steps be completed promptly. He also welcomed Damascus's cooperation with the international coalition against ISIS.
Turning to refugees, Yıldız said around 2.2 million Syrians remain under temporary protection in Türkiye, and that economic conditions, security worries and Israeli incursions have slowed their return.
Syria's UN envoy, Ibrahim Olabi, told the same session that security depends on international legitimacy and Security Council resolutions, and appealed for help to rebuild schools, hospitals and water and power networks, and to clear mines.
Türkiye's Defence Ministry had criticised Israeli strikes and raids in southern Syria at its weekly briefing earlier in the month, calling on the international community to take firmer steps.
Sources
- Türkiye urges Israel to end incursions into Syria
- Türkiye, France sign roadmap to deepen defense, security cooperation
Photo: Jdforrester / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
