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Syria Complains to UN About Repeated Israeli Attacks

An Israeli raid on the outskirts of Damascus. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
An Israeli raid on the outskirts of Damascus. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
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Syria Complains to UN About Repeated Israeli Attacks

An Israeli raid on the outskirts of Damascus. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
An Israeli raid on the outskirts of Damascus. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)

The Syrian Foreign Ministry warned of the consequences of the continuation of Israeli attacks on its territories, urging decisive measures from the UN Security Council to put an end to them.

“Syria calls on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities in the implementation of what is stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations and international humanitarian law,” the ministry said in two letters to the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Security Council on Friday.

It said, “the Israeli occupation authorities again defy the world public opinion, UN resolutions and the calls of most members of the Security Council not to expand the existing aggression against the Palestinian people by launching two new air attacks on Syrian territory.”

The latest attacks struck near Damascus and in southern regions.

Foreign Ministry noted that the United States, France, Britain and other countries clearly see that Israel has entirely violated international and humanitarian laws without mercy.

“The new aggressions against Syrian territory and the ongoing threats against Lebanon and other Arab countries in the region reveal the true goals of the Zionist entity, which seeks to expand in the region at the expense of Arab rights in Palestine and other occupied territories”, the Foreign Ministry stated.

On Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that before midnight on Thursday Israel fired missiles on the area of Damascus International Airport a day after the airport started operating again after being out of service for 65 days since an Israeli attack on October 22.

In the South, Israel fired missiles on a checkpoint of a battalion of the Air Defense in Tel Sahn eastern of Al-Hueya Village in the Suweida countryside, the watchdog said.

Later, SOHR said Israeli aircrafts carried out a second round of attacks on air defense positions in the Damascus countryside.

Syrian air defenses in Qasioun mountain responded to the attacks.

The Observatory documented 73 attacks in 2023, including 49 airstrikes and 24 rocket attacks by ground forces. The attacks destroyed nearly 143 targets, including buildings, weapons and ammunitions warehouses, and vehicles, and killed 120 soldiers and injured 136 others.

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After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

A US sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria is welcome, but "much more significant work ... will inevitably be necessary," the UN special envoy on Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the Security Council on Wednesday.

After 13 years of civil war, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightening offensive by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group a month ago.

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into war. But the new reality in Syria has been further complicated by sanctions on HTS - and some leaders - for its days as an al-Qaeda affiliate.

"I welcome the recent issuance of a new temporary General License by the United States government. But much more significant work in fully addressing sanctions and designations will inevitably be necessary," Pedersen told the council.

The US on Monday issued a sanctions exemption, known as a general license, for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance and allow some energy transactions.

"The United States welcomes positive messages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but will ultimately look for progress in actions, not words," deputy US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea told the Security Council.

The foreign ministry in Damascus on Wednesday welcomed the US move and called for a full lifting of restrictions to support Syria's recovery.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier on Wednesday that European Union sanctions on Syria that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder the country's recovery could be lifted swiftly.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the sanctions imposed on Syria by Washington and others, adding: "As a result, the Syrian economy is under extreme pressure and is not able to cope with the challenges facing the country." Russia was an Assad ally throughout the war.

'END THE SUFFERING'

Formerly known as Nusra Front, HTS was al-Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Along with unilateral measures, the group has also been on the UN Security Council al-Qaeda and ISIS sanctions list for more than a decade, subjected to a global assets freeze and arms embargo.

There are no UN sanctions on Syria over the civil war.

Syria's UN Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak was appointed a year ago by Assad's government but told the council on Wednesday that he was speaking for the caretaker authorities.

"It is high time to end the suffering, to enable Syrians to live in security and prosperity, to live a dignified life in their country, to build a better future for their country," Aldahhak said.

"For this reason, we call upon the United Nations and its member states to immediately and fully lift the unilateral coercive measures to provide the necessary financing to meet humanitarian needs and recover basic services," he said.

Pedersen said he is seeking to work with the caretaker authorities in Syria "on how the nascent and important ideas and steps so far articulated and initiated could be developed towards a credible and inclusive political transition."

Pedersen said attacks on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop, specifically calling out Israel.

As Assad's government crumbled towards the end of last year, Israel launched a series of strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and weapons manufacturing sites to prevent them falling into the hands of enemies.

"Reports of the IDF using live ammunition against civilians, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure are also very worrying," Pedersen said. "Such violations, along with Israeli airstrikes in other parts of Syria – reported even last week in Aleppo – could further jeopardize the prospects for an orderly political transition."