New York, Jan. 30 (SANA) Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi, reiterated Damascus’ firm stance that it will not compromise on reclaiming its land or safeguarding its national rights.
Speaking during a UN Security Council session on Middle East developments on Thursday, Olabi emphasized that Syria will take immediate and necessary steps to document and assess the damage caused by Israel’s “illegal occupation” in southern Syria.
Olabi recounted his recent visit to the buffer zone in southern Syria alongside UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, where he met residents of Quneitra Governorate. He said families spoke of children abducted by Israeli forces, while farmers described losing their lands and orchards to bulldozers.
Women reported that their lifelong homes had been destroyed and replaced with military fortifications. Civilians testified to being targeted while trying to earn a living, subjected to checkpoints, searches, and enforced disappearances.
The ambassador further said that Israeli aircraft had recently sprayed unidentified chemical substances over Syrian lands and forests, questioning the credibility of Israel’s stated security concerns.
“Syria will not stand idle,” Olabi said, stressing that the government is documenting both human and material losses to pursue accountability and compensation. He renewed Syria’s demand for an end to the Israeli military presence in the buffer zone since December 8, 2024, and welcomed the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2018, which reaffirmed international frameworks including Resolution 338 and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
Olabi highlighted the role of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and the Golan Heights Observer Group in monitoring and reporting violations, describing them as neutral witnesses.
Despite Syria’s participation in direct talks with Israel under U.S. mediation, Olabi said that Israel is attempting to sow division among Syrians. He pointed to recent displays of unity, including condolences offered by Druze community leaders to families of victims in Beit Jinn, and recalled the support of Syrian-American Jews in advocating for the lifting of sanctions on Syria.
He underscored that the ceasefire line and buffer zone established in 1974 separate Syria from the occupied Golan Heights, not from Israel itself. “The Golan is Syrian land, and military control does not equate to sovereignty,” he said, dismissing Israeli notions of borders and security walls as “unrealistic both geographically and politically.”
Concluding his remarks, Olabi insisted that Syria remains committed to peaceful means of resolving disputes. “Opening the door to diplomacy, dialogue, and restraint cannot be interpreted as concessions or weakness,” he said. “Syria will not compromise on the return of its land or its rights. If Israel believes that our engagement in security talks constitutes a concession of the Syrian people’s rights, it is undoubtedly mistaken.”
