WANA (Dec 18) – Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, on Thursday strongly condemned what he described as Israel’s illegal aggression against the Syrian town of Beit Jann, warning that such actions are part of a deliberate strategy to entrench occupation, fragment Syria, and undermine its national cohesion.

 

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, Iravani said Israel’s actions aim to exploit ethnic and sectarian differences and promote separatist agendas, posing a direct threat to regional peace and security.

 

Referring to the recent visit by members of the Security Council to Syria and Lebanon—organized at the initiative of Algeria, Denmark, and Slovenia—Iravani expressed hope that the trip would lead to tangible and effective outcomes, particularly measures compelling Israel to end its occupation and immediately halt its illegal actions.

 

Iravani noted that one year has passed since the formation of Syria’s interim government and acknowledged that Damascus has taken important transitional steps. However, he said the Syrian people continue to face acute social, humanitarian, economic, and security challenges.

 

He warned that the continued activity of armed groups outside the control of Syrian authorities—marked by arbitrary violence against civilians and violations of minority rights—remains deeply concerning and constitutes a serious threat to peace, stability, and national unity.

 

The Iranian envoy said tragic incidents over the past year in Syria’s coastal regions and in Sweida province underscore the urgent need to restore full state authority, enforce the rule of law, and prevent the exploitation of sectarian and social divisions for violent ends.

 

In this context, he welcomed the interim government’s decision to establish national mechanisms to investigate events in coastal areas and crimes committed in Sweida and to hold perpetrators accountable.

 

Iravani further warned that the resurgence of terrorism continues to pose a grave and immediate threat to Syria and the wider region. The re-emergence and increased operational capacity of ISIS, including recent terrorist attacks, he said, highlights the persistent and deeply rooted nature of this threat.

 

Reiterating Iran’s position, Iravani stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He emphasized that counterterrorism efforts must be comprehensive, non-selective, fully consistent with international law, and carried out with full respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

 

Addressing recent developments, Iravani pointed to the return of more than one million refugees and nearly two million internally displaced persons to their home areas, as well as the easing of some sanctions and improved humanitarian access.

 

While describing these developments as encouraging, he cautioned that the overall situation remains fragile. Over the past year, he said, Israel has intensified its unlawful use of force, expanded its military presence, and pursued policies aimed at consolidating and normalizing its occupation of Syrian territory.

 

Iravani strongly condemned what he described as Israel’s illegal attack on Beit Jann on November 28, 2025, during which, he said, Israeli forces killed 13 civilians, including women and children, wounded dozens more, and forcibly displaced residents through deliberate and indiscriminate shelling of residential homes.

 

Citing a letter dated November 28, 2025, from Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, Iravani said the attack constitutes a grave war crime under international law.

 

He added that the aggression and the resistance of local residents supported by the interim Syrian government clearly demonstrate the inevitable and destabilizing consequences of prolonged occupation and repeated acts of aggression.

 

“The actions of the Israeli regime are neither defensive nor accidental,” Iravani said. “They are part of a deliberate strategy to entrench occupation, fragment Syria, and weaken its national cohesion through the exploitation of ethnic and sectarian differences and the promotion of separatist agendas.”

 

He warned that the Security Council cannot remain passive in the face of such violations, arguing that mere rhetorical affirmations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are legally meaningless unless accompanied by concrete and effective measures to compel Israel’s compliance.

 

Continued inaction, selective silence, or political support for Israel by a permanent member of the Council, he said, only serves to normalize and legitimize occupation and aggression, rendering Security Council resolutions ineffective and unenforceable.

 

Iravani also reaffirmed that since the start of Syria’s political transition, Iran has acted responsibly and consistently in support of Syria’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and the freely expressed will of its people. As a neighboring country, he said, Iran considers Syria’s stability and territorial integrity essential to regional peace and security.

 

He concluded by stressing that effectively addressing Syria’s challenges requires, above all, an immediate end to Israeli aggression and occupation, principled and non-selective counterterrorism efforts, and continued actions by Syrian authorities to protect minority rights and advance a genuinely inclusive political process that ensures meaningful participation by all segments of Syrian society.

 

“Iran will continue to support an independent, stable, and secure Syria, as well as its reintegration into the international community,” Iravani said.