Visiting UN chief urges respect for Syria's sovereignty, international support

DAMASCUS: UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday (Jul 25) called for an end to Israeli violations in Syria and urged international support for the country's transition, on his first visit under the new authorities following years of civil war.Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where they deployed in 2024 after the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.Mr Guterres is the first UN chief to visit Syria since his predecessor Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the start of Syria's war, which went on to kill more than half a million people before the new Islamist authorities took power."We underscore the importance of fully respecting Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity, a