Attack on Syrian territory to endanger regional security and stability, Iraqi premier tells Blinken

By Laith Al-Jnaidi

ISTANBUL (AA) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani on Friday stressed the importance of preventing aggression or assaults on Syrian territory, warning that such actions would jeopardize regional security and stability.

Al-Sudani made the statement during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Baghdad, according to the prime minister's office.

The Iraqi premier reiterated his country's "stance on supporting Syria during this critical phase and emphasized the importance of friendly nations assisting the Syrians in rebuilding their state and addressing challenges that could impact their civil peace."

The statement also quoted Blinken as saying, "the need to respect the Syrian people's choices and work toward forming an inclusive government that reflects the will of the Syrian people and their diverse components."

Dictator Bashar Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last Sunday after anti-regime groups seized control of Damascus. The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities in a swift offensive that lasted less than two weeks.

Immediately following the fall of the Assad regime, the Israeli army captured the buffer zone in Syria’s occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, shortly after Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu announced the collapse of a UN-monitored disengagement agreement with Damascus.

The Israeli army mounted hundreds of airstrikes against military bases, air defense stations, and intelligence headquarters, as well as long- and short-range missile depots and unconventional weapon stockpiles across Syria.

Israeli army forces have entered 2-10 kilometers deep within the demilitarized buffer zone along the border with Syria, an Israeli source, who preferred to remain unnamed, told Anadolu.

He, however, declined to specify the Syrian villages in the buffer zone where the Israeli forces are deployed for "security reasons.”

According to the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the buffer zone “extends over 75 kilometers in length and ranges in width from approximately 10 kilometers in the center to 200 meters in the far south.”

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar