Syria's al-Sharaa tells UN Israeli strikes threaten post-war recovery and calls for withdrawal

President Ahmed al-Sharaa told the UN General Assembly Israel must withdraw from internationally recognized Syrian territory, citing 500 air strikes, more than 1,200 incursions and 300 detentions he said undermined Syria's recovery after civil war. He said the occupied Golan Heights must remain Syrian; since ousting Bashar al-Assad in 2024, about 3.5 million refugees and displaced people have returned and sanctions were lifted.