“The General Secretariat reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of Israel’s (the occupying power) illegal actions, which exploit Syria’s internal challenges,” the 22-member pan-Arab organization said in a statement released on Sunday.
“These include attempts to expand occupation in the Golan Heights or to unilaterally nullify the 1974 disengagement agreement, actions that flagrantly violate international law.”
The statement came hours after foreign-backed militants, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), captured the Syrian capital Damascus, announcing the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Shortly afterward, the Israeli military seized the buffer zone that separates the occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria, as well as two towns in Quneitra Province.
Additionally, the regime’s warplanes carried out numerous airstrikes on Syria, targeting Khalkhalah and Mezzeh air bases, situated in Suwayda and Damascus, respectively.
They further bombed several sites in Dara’a Province, along with a security complex in the Kafr Sousa suburb of Damascus, and a central square in the capital that includes intelligence and customs headquarters.
Also in its statement, the Arab League called on Syrians to “embrace the principles of tolerance and dialogue, safeguard the rights of all segments of Syrian society, prioritize the interests of the nation above all considerations, ... and restrain the use of arms.”
It also underlined the need for a “peaceful, inclusive, and secure” political transition process in Syria, stressing that the body stands by the country until it achieves lasting peace.
“Maintaining Syria’s unity and territorial sovereignty, while unequivocally rejecting all forms of foreign interference, remains a cornerstone of Arab consensus on Syria,” the Arab League said, calling for the lifting of sanctions on the country.
Assad’s fall came less than two weeks after the HTS-led militants waged a surprise two-pronged attack on Syria’s Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib before taking control of a number of cities, including Damascus.
Press TV