Guterres arrives in Syria in first official visit by a UN chief in 17 years

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was under UN Security Council sanctions until last year.Published On 25 Jul 202625 Jul 2026United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has landed in Syria, marking the first official visit by a serving UN chief in 17 years.Guterres arrived on Saturday morning at Damascus international airport, where he and his delegation were met by Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Syria’s state news agency reported.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump push for Syrian intervention against Hezbollah ‘short-sighted’list 2 of 4Syria’s Al-Sharaa reshuffles security and intelligence leadershiplist 3 of 4Bomb attacks rattle Damascus but for most Syrians, life goes onlist 4 of 4Syrian people must not be failed againend of listDuring the trip, Guterres will meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who was under UN Security Council sanctions until last year.The UN chief’s visit is a first since 2009, before the country’s bloody 14-year civil war broke out. It is yet another diplomatic milestone for al-Sharaa, who has sought to rebuild international ties since he took power after ...