Syrian Leader Lashes Out at Israel     09/24 06:32

   Syria's interim president harshly criticized Israel's occupation of southern 
Syria and said the Golan Heights is an inseparable part of his country.

   UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Syria's interim president harshly criticized Israel's 
occupation of southern Syria and said the Golan Heights is an inseparable part 
of his country.

   In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Ahmad al-Sharaa said that Israel 
has carried out more than 500 air and artillery strikes on the country since he 
took power nearly two years ago. Israel has also carried out 1,200 land 
incursions and detained nearly 300 people, he said.

   Al-Sharaa also condemned Israel's control over the Golan Heights, which it 
captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed in 1981.

   In 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the 
territory, reversing decades of U.S. policy. The United Nations and most of the 
international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and do not 
recognize Israel's annexation.

   "No attempts at imposing a fait accompli can undermine the legitimacy of our 
state, the sovereignty of our law, or the force of international law," 
al-Sharaa said. "The Golan will remain a Syrian land."

   Israel has occupied a portion of southern Syria since Assad was toppled, 
calling it a defensive move to prevent potential attacks on its territory.

   Al-Sharaa said Syria is committed to a 1974 agreement that established a 
demilitarized separation zone between Israeli and Syrian forces, stationing a 
U.N. peacekeeping force there to maintain calm.

   He called on Israeli forces to withdraw to the lines of Dec. 8, 2024, the 
day when insurgents he led removed longtime leader Bashar Assad from power and 
Israel began sending in forces.

   On Tuesday, al-Sharaa jokingly said while speaking at an Atlantic Council 
event that he has asked Trump why he doesn't give Israel New Jersey instead of 
the Golan Heights.