Syrian President at U.N.: Golan Will Remain Syrian Territory

Another day of speeches at the U.N. General Assembly opened today (Wednesday) in New York, highlighted by remarks from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who devoted part of his address to Israel and the Golan Heights. Al-Sharaa declared: "Any attempt to violate our sovereignty will be stopped. The Golan will remain Syrian territory. Any other attempt will be thwarted in accordance with Security Council resolutions."

According to him, Israel continues to strike inside Syrian territory in an effort to "impose facts on the ground," in a manner he said harms regional security and stability. Alongside the criticism, he added: "The opportunity for historic peace exists, for those who want it."

His comments come after al-Sharaa addressed the October 7 massacre overnight as well: "I understand what happened on October 7 to some innocent people, but it is impossible for all policy to be determined based on an event that occurred in history." He added: "It is not appropriate for what happened on October 7 to dictate policy toward Syria."

In his speech, the Syrian president also addressed the country’s stockpile of chemical weapons. According to him, 42 chemical bombs have been destroyed so far, and his regime is in close contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency.