UPDATE - UN expresses concern over Netanyahu's visit to Syria's south

UPDATE WITH STATEMENT FROM UN DEPUTY ENVOY FOR SYRIA

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN on Wednesday expressed concern over a recent field tour conducted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the buffer zone in southern Syria.

"I think this very public visit is concerning, to say the least," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news conference. "We call on Israel to respect the 1974 Disengagement Agreement."

Dujarric noted UN resolution 2799, recently passed at the Security Council, and stressed that it "called for the full sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria."

"This is also an issue that was raised during the recent meeting between (Deputy UN envoy for Syria) Najat Rochdi and the foreign minister of Syria," he added.

In a statement, Rochdi called the visit by Netanyahu "a further grave violation of Syria’s sovereignty."

"Given the Security Council's affirmation in resolution 2799 (2025) of its full respect for the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria, Deputy Special Envoy Rochdi once again calls for Israel’s violations to cease and for adherence to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, and appeals to the Security Council to assume its responsibilities in this regard," the statement said.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry also condemned the "illegitimate visit" by Netanyahu and Israeli occupation officials as "a grave violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.

Israeli incursions in southern Syria have recently intensified, with locals complaining of advances into their farmland, as well as the destruction of hundreds of acres of forests, arrests of residents, and the establishment of military checkpoints.

The Israeli army has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids into the southern provinces since December 2024, according to government data.