Golan Heights will 'remain Syrian' President al-Sharaa vows to UN

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa insisted at the UN Wednesday that the Golan Heights region will remain Syrian after Colombia last month recognized Israeli sovereignty over the strategically important territory. "Any attempts that violate our sovereignty, violate international law, will be stopped. Golan will remain Syrian territories," al-Sharaa said at the UN meeting of world leaders in New York. Colombia's new hard-right government in August recognized Israel's claim over the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria in 1967. The United States had until then been the only country to recognize Israel's annexation of the territory in 1981. The United Nations maintains that the plateau is Syrian territory under Israeli military occupation. In July UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that the Golan Heights were part of Syria, describing Israeli occupation as "totally unacceptable." Al-Sharaa also used his second turn at the UN rostrum to denounce repeated Israeli strikes on his country since the fall of former dictator Bashar al-Assad. Read moreLive: Iran’s Pezeshkian tells UN his country is ‘victim’ of US ‘terrorism’ "Israel is launching attacks against Syria. There ...