Syria warns Israel poses ‘the greatest threat’ to Middle East stability

The United Nations Security Council’s monthly meeting on Syria’s post-Assad transition has seen Syria, Israel and Turkiye trade accusations over who can rightfully have a military presence on Syrian soil.

Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi, told council members on Thursday that he had hoped to focus on the country’s progress but was compelled to address Israel’s actions in Syria, according to a UN summary of the meeting.

“Israel penetrated our villages, displaced our people, bombed our facilities while we chose to spare the region further suffering,” he said, accusing Israel of responding to mediation efforts and dialogue with “air strikes, incursions and violations”.

Olabi said Israeli aggression poses “the greatest threat facing the stability of the entire region, not just Syria”, pointing to an emergency declaration by 44 nations outside the council chamber that condemned a visit by Israeli leadership to Jabal al-Sheikh inside Syrian territory on September 9 as an unlawful act and a “blatant violation” of international law.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon downplayed Israel’s presence in Syria and shifted the focus to Turkiye.

He warned that Ankara planned to expand its military capabilities inside Syria and take over the country, the UN report said.

“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 Turkiye,” he said.

“Turkiye has 20,000 troops and over 100 bases in Syria, controlling 5 percent of its territory, 50 times larger than Israel’s ‘security buffer’. Turkiye is now following the Iranian proxy playbook.”

Turkish Ambassador to the UN Ahmet Yildiz said Turkish forces based in Syria were there at the invitation of Damascus.

“We categorically reject Israel’s attempts to smear Turkiye’s legitimate cooperation with Syria and portray it as a threat in an effort to justify its own violations of international law,” he said.

He accused Israel of undermining this trajectory through “reckless attacks” and incursions into Syrian territory, and called on Israel to de-escalate and withdraw its forces.

Syria’s ambassador denounced the debate.

“Syria’s meetings should not be talking about proxy issues any more. That was the case during the regime era. It should no longer be the case. It’s frankly traumatising,” he said.