Israeli military advances are destabilising Syria, Turkey says

Israel’s military advances are destabilising Syria, Turkey’s envoy to the UN said on Friday as he called on the Security Council to address the problem.

Israel this week conducted air attacks on Syria’s coast and ground raids in the country’s south, part of a recent wave of attacks that Israel says are necessary for its security, raising tensions with Syria’s new government.

“The preservation of Syria’s stability, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity remains our utmost priority,” ambassador Ahmet Yildiz said. “At this critical juncture, this is more important than ever.”

Speaking at a meeting on the fate of Syria’s chemical weapons, Mr Yildiz called for a “stable and unified Syria”. He said this could only be achieved by the eradication of militant groups in the region.

He said there is no place for ISIS or any Kurdish armed groups in Syria’s future, accusing them of occupying one-third of the country and posing significant threats to its territorial integrity.

“Eliminating these terrorist groups is a prerequisite for a peaceful, independent, and politically unified Syria,” he added.

Fergus Eckersley, Britain’s political co-ordinator at the UN, echoed calls for Israel to stop military action in Syria and welcomed Syria’s renewed commitments to dismantle its chemical weapons arsenal, urging the international community to seize the opportunity to eliminate such weapons permanently.

Syria’s commitment was affirmed by Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on Wednesday. He emphasised that the chemical weapons programme, established under ousted leader Bashar Al Assad, does not fit with the current government’s policies.

“This chemical weapons programme, created under the Assad era, is not our programme … Nevertheless, our commitment is to dismantle whatever may be left from it, to put an end to this painful legacy,” he said.

The international community has long been concerned about Syria’s chemical weapons, especially after their alleged use during the 13-year civil war and uncertainties following Mr Al Assad’s removal.

Despite Syria’s agreement over a decade ago to destroy its known stockpile, the OPCW suspects that all weapons were not disclosed and that undeclared stockpiles remain.

It is seeking to establish a permanent presence in Syria to catalogue chemical weapon sites and destroy the stockpiles. However, the watchdog is concerned that Israeli bombing of Syria may have destroyed evidence following Mr Al Assad’s overthrow.

Israel has indicated that suspected chemical weapon sites were among its targets, aiming to prevent these assets from falling into extremist hands.

Geir Pederson, the UN envoy for Syria, also voiced alarm at reports of clashes and killings in coastal areas between Syrian caretaker authority forces and Assad loyalists.

“While the situation remains fluid and we are still determining the precise facts, there is clearly an immediate need for restraint from all parties,” Mr Pedersen said in a statement.