UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemns an Israeli air strike near the presidential palace in Damascus, says Israel must respect Syrian sovereignty.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned an Israeli airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, the previous night.
UN spokesman Stephan Dujarric said in a statement that Guterres calls the attack a violation of Syria’s sovereignty, which he said Israel must respect along with “its unity, its territorial integrity and its independence.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that Thursday night’s strike was meant to send “a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not permit Syrian troops to move south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community.”
The strike came amid clashes in Syria, sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said on Thursday the fighting had involved security forces, allied fighters and local Druze groups.
It added that 102 have died so far in the clashes, including 30 government loyalists, 21 Druze fighters and 10 civilians.
The United States on Thursday condemned the violence against Syria’s Druze community, calling on the country’s interim authorities to hold perpetrators accountable.
“The recent violence and inflammatory rhetoric targeting members of the Druze community in Syria is reprehensible and unacceptable. The interim authorities must stop the fighting, hold perpetrators of violence and civilian harm accountable for their actions, and ensure the security of all Syrians,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce in a statement.
“Sectarianism will only sink Syria and the region into chaos and more violence. We have seen that Syrians can solve their disputes peacefully through negotiations. We call for a representative future government that protects and integrates all of Syria’s communities, including ethnic and religious minorities,” she added.
Guterres has regularly been critical of Israel since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Several weeks after the massacre, the UN Secretary-General said that Hamas’ attack on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum” and appeared to blame Israel for the attack.
After his remarks were widely condemned, the UN chief claimed his comments were misinterpreted and that he had indeed condemned Hamas.
Later, he mentioned the sexual crimes committed by Hamas in its October 7 attack in Israel in the same breath as “reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees”.
Subsequently, Guterres appeared to equate between Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Last month, the UN chief criticized Israel’s renewal of strikes on the Gaza Strip and said he was “outraged” by them.
In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote, “We are outraged that you, Antonio Guterres, are the Secretary-General of the UN.”
“Not a word about the fact that Hamas rejected two American proposals to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages—two proposals that Israel accepted,” added Marmorstein.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned an Israeli airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, the previous night.
UN spokesman Stephan Dujarric said in a statement that Guterres calls the attack a violation of Syria’s sovereignty, which he said Israel must respect along with “its unity, its territorial integrity and its independence.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that Thursday night’s strike was meant to send “a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not permit Syrian troops to move south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community.”
The strike came amid clashes in Syria, sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said on Thursday the fighting had involved security forces, allied fighters and local Druze groups.
It added that 102 have died so far in the clashes, including 30 government loyalists, 21 Druze fighters and 10 civilians.
The United States on Thursday condemned the violence against Syria’s Druze community, calling on the country’s interim authorities to hold perpetrators accountable.
“The recent violence and inflammatory rhetoric targeting members of the Druze community in Syria is reprehensible and unacceptable. The interim authorities must stop the fighting, hold perpetrators of violence and civilian harm accountable for their actions, and ensure the security of all Syrians,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce in a statement.
“Sectarianism will only sink Syria and the region into chaos and more violence. We have seen that Syrians can solve their disputes peacefully through negotiations. We call for a representative future government that protects and integrates all of Syria’s communities, including ethnic and religious minorities,” she added.
Guterres has regularly been critical of Israel since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Several weeks after the massacre, the UN Secretary-General said that Hamas’ attack on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum” and appeared to blame Israel for the attack.
After his remarks were widely condemned, the UN chief claimed his comments were misinterpreted and that he had indeed condemned Hamas.
Later, he mentioned the sexual crimes committed by Hamas in its October 7 attack in Israel in the same breath as “reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees”.
Subsequently, Guterres appeared to equate between Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Last month, the UN chief criticized Israel’s renewal of strikes on the Gaza Strip and said he was “outraged” by them.
In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote, “We are outraged that you, Antonio Guterres, are the Secretary-General of the UN.”
“Not a word about the fact that Hamas rejected two American proposals to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages—two proposals that Israel accepted,” added Marmorstein.
“Not a word about the fact that Hamas exploits the transfer of goods to Gaza to rebuild its war machine in order to further attack Israel.”
“Not a word about UNRWA, which, under your leadership, employs Hamas terrorists, and its facilities were used by Hamas to hold hostages. Indeed, we are outraged by your moral bankruptcy,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson concluded.
