Gulf Cooperation Council calls for ‘decisive action’ to stop Israeli strikes on Syria

By Husameddin Salih and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Thursday condemned Israeli attacks on Syria and urged the international community to take “urgent and decisive action” to stop the “blatant violations.”

In a statement, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi denounced the Israeli military’s airstrikes on Tuesday night, which targeted Syrian military sites, vehicles, and ammunition depots.

After the attack, Israel's Channel 14 reported that Israeli ground forces had crossed the buffer zone in southern Syria, destroying weapons depots in tandem with aerial strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced that Israeli forces will remain in the buffer zone "for the foreseeable future" and transform southern Syria into a "demilitarized zone."

Albudaiwi strongly condemned the attacks, calling them “a flagrant violation of international agreements and laws that threaten regional security and stability.”

He asserted that Israel’s ongoing aggression undermines peace efforts and fuels instability.

He emphasized the need for an urgent and decisive global intervention to curb these violations, which threaten international and regional security.

The GCC statement also referenced the 46th Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting, which condemned Israel’s repeated attacks on Syria, including its occupation of the buffer zone—a direct violation of Syrian sovereignty and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Albudaiwi reaffirmed the GCC’s stance on Israel’s complete withdrawal from all occupied Syrian territories and compliance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria. It also intensified airstrikes targeting Syrian military positions across the country.

Israel’s recent military advances in the Golan Heights, which it has occupied since 1967, have drawn condemnation from the UN and several Arab nations.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.