Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa has said the Golan Heights will remain Syrian territory, rejecting Israel’s annexation measures as invalid under international law.
Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Sharaa said attempts to impose “facts on the ground” could not undermine Syria’s sovereignty or the applicability of international law.
“The Golan will remain Syrian land,” he said, referring to UN Security Council Resolution 497, which declares Israel’s 1981 decision to impose its laws and administration on the occupied Golan Heights “null and void”.
Al Sharaa also referred to a UN General Assembly vote in December 2025 in which 123 countries backed a resolution concerning the occupied Syrian Golan. He thanked countries that supported it and urged those that abstained to reconsider their position on Resolution 497.
He accused Israel of carrying out nearly 500 air and artillery strikes, more than 1,200 incursions and around 300 arrests and detentions of Syrians, saying the actions threatened Syria’s stability and defied international consensus.
Al Sharaa said Damascus remained committed to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and continued to call for Israeli forces to withdraw to the lines held before December 8, 2024.
He rejected what he described as Israeli attempts to impose “new facts on the ground”, saying such actions across the region undermined security and stability.
The address marked Al Sharaa’s second consecutive appearance at the UN General Assembly. He attended the 80th session in September 2025, becoming the first Syrian president to participate in the gathering since 1967.
