DAMASCUS/ ISTANBUL

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Monday discussed Israeli violations in southern Syria with Major General Patrick Gauchat, Head of Mission and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).

Shaibani met with Gauchat in the capital Damascus, where they underlined the importance of the mission’s role in documenting Israeli violations in southern Syria, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on the US social media company X.

They also discussed “ways to enhance existing cooperation and coordination, in a manner that supports stability and helps maintain calm in the region… within the framework of respect for the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic and its territorial integrity,” the statement said.

The ministry did not specify when the UN official arrived in Damascus or the duration of his visit.

Israeli forces have carried out near-daily incursions in southern Syria in recent weeks, particularly in Quneitra province, conducting arrests, setting up checkpoints, and destroying forested areas, actions that have fueled growing local anger toward Israel.

Tel Aviv has also escalated its attacks in Syria, killing civilians and destroying Syrian military sites, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition.

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 a 1974 agreement with Syria.​​​​​​​