Syria has condemned a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials to the country’s south, where they met troops stationed in Syrian territory that Israel has occupied for months. Israel expanded its occupation of southern Syrian territory in December, when former President Bashar al‑Assad’s regime was overwhelmed by rebel forces.

Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday: “My government strongly condemns this provocative visit, which represents Israel’s continued aggression against Syria and its people.

We again ask the UN and this council to take firm, immediate action to stop these violations, ensure they do not happen again, end the occupation, and enforce the relevant resolutions, especially the 1974 disengagement agreement that followed the 1973 Arab‑Israeli War.”

He noted that after the overthrow of al‑Assad, Israel has kept troops in a UN‑patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights, which separates Israeli and Syrian forces. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials’ “very public visit” “concerning, to say the least.”

Dujarric added that UN Resolution 2799, recently approved by the Security Council, “called for the full sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria.”
Syria has not reciprocated the attacks.

Newsmen noted that Syria and Israel are still negotiating a security agreement, and analysts say it might be finalized before the year ends.

“The tense exchange between the two ambassadors probably won’t stop the deal, but it shows how little trust exists between the two countries and how Netanyahu and his government keep trying to provoke Damascus.”

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