Syria warns Israel poses 'the greatest threat'

UNITED NATIONS

Türkiye’s UN Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız rejects Israel’s allegations, saying that Turkish forces are deployed in Syria at the invitation of Damascus.

Syria, Israel and Türkiye exchanged accusations at the U.N. Security Council’s monthly meeting on Syria’s post-Assad transition on Sept. 17, with the three countries disputing the legitimacy of foreign military deployments on Syrian territory.

Syria’s U.N. envoy Ibrahim Olabi said he had intended to highlight the progress made during the country’s transition but was forced to address what he described as Israel’s continued actions inside Syria, according to a U.N. summary of the meeting.

Olabi accused Israel of entering Syrian villages, displacing residents and carrying out air strikes against infrastructure, saying Damascus had sought to prevent further escalation in the region.

He described Israel’s actions as “the greatest threat facing the stability of the entire region,” citing a statement by 44 countries outside the Security Council that condemned an Israeli leadership visit to Jabal al-Sheikh, in Syrian territory, on Sept. 9.

The countries described the visit as unlawful and a “blatant violation” of international law.

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon sought to play down the scale of Israel’s military presence in Syria while directing criticism at Türkiye.

Danon accused Ankara of planning to expand its military footprint in Syria and seeking to take control of parts of the country, according to the U.N. account of the meeting.

“If Israel’s tiny defensive buffer is considered a threat to Syrian stability, then what about a foreign power that controls a much larger portion of Syrian territory and is building its military presence there? I am talking about Türkiye,” Danon said.

Türkiye’s U.N. Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız rejected Israel’s allegations, saying Turkish forces operating in Syria were deployed at the invitation of the Syrian government.

Yıldız accused Israel of attempting to discredit Türkiye’s cooperation with Damascus in order to justify its own actions, which he described as violations of international law.