UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sharply criticized Israel on Friday for conducting an airstrike the night before near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus.
Stephan Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, released a statement saying that Guterres denounced the attack as a breach of Syrian sovereignty. He urged Israel to respect “its unity, its territorial integrity and its independence.”
In a coordinated statement, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the operation, stating that the strike was meant to deliver “a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not permit Syrian troops to move south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community.”
The airstrike took place amid ongoing fighting inside Syria, triggered by a controversial audio message attributed to a Druze resident, which many found offensive to religious sentiments.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent group based in the UK, the violence has included confrontations between regime security forces, allied militias, and Druze groups. Their latest report stated that at least 102 people had died, including 30 pro-government personnel, 21 Druze combatants, and 10 civilians.
The U.S. State Department also condemned the attacks against the Druze population in Syria, demanding accountability from Syrian authorities.
“The recent violence and inflammatory rhetoric targeting members of the Druze community in Syria is reprehensible and unacceptable. The interim authorities must stop the fighting, hold perpetrators of violence and civilian harm accountable for their actions, and ensure the security of all Syrians,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce in a formal statement.
She went on to stress the dangers of sectarian violence: “Sectarianism will only sink Syria and the region into chaos and more violence. We have seen that Syrians can solve their disputes peacefully through negotiations. We call for a representative future government that protects and integrates all of Syria’s communities, including ethnic and religious minorities.”
Since the brutal October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Guterres has repeatedly taken critical stances toward Israel, drawing increasing scrutiny for his comments.
Not long after the massacre, Guterres said the attack by Hamas “did not happen in a vacuum,” a remark widely seen as deflecting blame from the terror group and placing it on Israel.
After a wave of backlash, Guterres tried to walk back the interpretation of his comments, saying his words were misread and insisting that he had clearly condemned Hamas.
Nonetheless, he later made statements comparing the horrific sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7 to “reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees,” prompting further outrage.
In the weeks that followed, Guterres continued to issue pointed criticisms of Israel, often portraying the humanitarian situation in Gaza as morally equivalent to Hamas’s atrocities on Israeli soil.
Just last month, Guterres condemned Israel’s renewed military actions in Gaza, saying he was “outraged” by the resumption of airstrikes.
That statement drew a blistering response from Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein, who said, “We are outraged that you, Antonio Guterres, are the Secretary-General of the UN.”
Marmorstein also added, “Not a word about the fact that Hamas rejected two American proposals to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages—two proposals that Israel accepted.”
He continued: “Not a word about the fact that Hamas exploits the transfer of goods to Gaza to rebuild its war machine in order to further attack Israel.”
He concluded by taking direct aim at UNRWA and Guterres’s leadership: “Not a word about UNRWA, which, under your leadership, employs Hamas terrorists, and its facilities were used by Hamas to hold hostages. Indeed, we are outraged by your moral bankruptcy.”
{Matzav.com}