UN chief Antonio Guterres lands in Syria for first visit in 17 years
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Damascus for a landmark visit, marking the first time a serving UN chief has traveled to Syria in 17 years.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Damascus on Saturday, marking the first official visit to the country by a serving UN chief in 17 years. Guterres and his delegation landed at Damascus International Airport, where Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani welcomed them. The trip follows the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad and the end of a devastating civil war. The last visit by a UN secretary-general was conducted by Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the conflict began.
Shortly after landing, Guterres posted on X to announce his arrival for a solidarity visit, calling on the international community to support the Syrian people through their fragile recovery. During his time in the capital, Guterres met with President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the People's Palace, according to Daily Sabah. State media images also captured the UN chief touring the historic Old City and visiting the Umayyad Mosque. He additionally visited Sednaya prison near the capital, a facility described by Amnesty International as a human slaughterhouse under Assad's rule, and met with members of the UN peacekeeping force deployed in the Golan.
Media additions
At a joint news conference, Foreign Minister al-Shaibani declared that the high-level visit is a notable shift in diplomatic relations. Al-Shaibani stated that the visit constitutes a clear declaration of Syria's transition to the role of an active partner in the United Nations, signaling a new phase of close cooperation to achieve full national recovery under a single strategy for a Syrian-led recovery process. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric emphasized that the visit aims to lay foundations for a future for Syria that will be more stable, more inclusive, and more prosperous for all Syrians.
Guterres used the platform to address regional security and violations of territorial integrity following the collapse of the previous government. Israeli forces pushed into the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after Assad's fall. Israeli forces have since carried out repeated military operations and incursions deeper into Syrian territory, with Israeli officials stating an intent to maintain troops in a security zone in southern Syria.
"What is happening in the region around the Golan Heights is totally unacceptable. I'd like to remind the international community that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory."
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, via Yahoo News
Al-Shaibani echoed those concerns, demanding an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces beyond the 1974 ceasefire line and calling the continued military operations a direct threat to regional security and a drain on national resources. Despite these tensions, Syria's new authorities and Israel have held several rounds of direct talks and established an intelligence-sharing mechanism, even as Israeli military operations persist.
The humanitarian situation remains grave as the country emerges from a conflict that killed more than half a million people and shattered infrastructure. UN estimates indicate that approximately 15.6 million Syrians still require humanitarian assistance. While return figures vary across updates—with the UN and ministerial reports citing between 1.7 million and 3.5 million displaced persons and refugees returning home—millions remain displaced. Roughly 5.5 million people remain displaced inside the country, and another six million live as refugees overseas. Guterres noted that Syria's recovery is a humanitarian imperative and an investment in development, peace, and regional stability.
The visit follows a series of high-level missions to Syria since the political transition, including trips by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, and a UN Security Council delegation. Al-Sharaa previously addressed the UN General Assembly last year, becoming the first Syrian president in decades to speak before the body. The international community has urged the new authorities to establish transparent institutions and an inclusive political system representing Syria's multi-ethnic, multi-confessional society following sectarian bloodshed last year.
What to Watch Next
- Antonio Guterres is expected to address Syria's new parliament on Monday.
- The UN chief will inspect the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the peacekeeping mission stationed in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights since 1974 under Resolution 350 to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Syria.
- Further meetings are expected with Syrian civil society representatives and women's rights organizations focusing on transitional justice, drafting a permanent constitution, and holding free and fair elections.
