Türkiye says Syria must be 'insulated' from regional escalation

ISTANBUL

Türkiye called Wednesday for Syria to be shielded from the broader regional escalation triggered by ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran, warning that growing instability poses a direct threat to Syria's recovery.

Speaking at a UN Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East, Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz, commended the Syrian government for its efforts to keep the country out of the regional conflict, saying it was "essential to keep Syria insulated from these tensions."

He pointed to the ripple effects of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which he said had internally displaced more than one million people and pushed over 100,000, predominantly Syrians, back across the border into Syria.

"In the face of this large-scale population movement, it is of utmost importance that UN entities, in particular UNHCR and OCHA, continue to provide necessary support to the Syrian government," Yildiz said.

He also called on Israel to withdraw from the southern Syrian buffer zone and areas it has occupied since Dec. 8, 2024, stressing that stability in southern Syria must be achieved in full compliance with the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement and in respect of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Yildiz also warned against complacency on counterterrorism, saying the threat posed by the ISIS (Daesh) terror organization must be closely monitored during the current period of heightened instability and that Syria should be supported in strengthening its counterterrorism capacity as a member of the global coalition against the group.

"We must not allow the current environment to provide an opportunity for its reemergence," he said.

On Syria's political trajectory, the ambassador struck a cautiously optimistic tone, saying progress across security, political and economic spheres pointed toward "a more hopeful and constructive path."

He also welcomed the removal of the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, from the UN sanctions regime as an important step toward bolstering the international legitimacy of the Syrian government and urged sustained engagement to seize "a clear window of opportunity" for lasting stability.

On Dec. 8, 2024, Syrian opposition forces entered the capital Damascus, effectively ending Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule and the Assad family dynasty.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was one of the most prominent armed groups opposing Assad's forces during Syria's civil war, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's president in the wake of Assad's ouster.