US Envoy Thomas Barrack: Golan is "Syrian land" occupied by Israel in violation of UN resolutions

US Presidential Special Envoys to Syria and Iraq Thomas Barrack affirmed that the occupied Golan Heights is Syrian territory, in accordance with United Nations resolutions and international law. Barrack stated in an interview with Clash Report, published on the X platform and reported by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) yesterday, that “Israelis continue to occupy the Syrian Golan, contrary to UN resolutions and the international system which stipulates that the Golan belongs to Syria.”

SANA noted that UN resolutions confirm that the occupied Golan Heights is Syrian land, particularly Resolution 497 issued by the UN Security Council on December 17, 1981, which stipulates that Israel’s decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction, and administration on the Golan is “null and void and has no legal or international effect.”

On another note, Syria and France commemorated the victims of the chemical attack that targeted Eastern Ghouta and Muadhamiyat al-Sham in the Damascus countryside on August 21, 2013, expressing solidarity with their families and reaffirming their shared commitment to supporting efforts to uncover the truth, achieve justice, and hold those responsible for these crimes accountable.

In a joint statement issued two days ago marking the 13th anniversary of the attack, Syria and France stated that Syria witnessed more than 200 chemical weapons attacks between late 2012 and the fall of the former regime in December 2024, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 people, including women and children.

The two countries renewed their commitment to combating impunity, in honor of the victims and in triumph of the principle of accountability, noting that Syria has submitted an application to join the International Partnership to End Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons, a step welcomed by France as it clearly affirms the enhancement of justice, accountability, and the fight against impunity.

They clarified that this step follows the historic visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Syria on July 6 and 7, 2026, which inaugurated a new phase in Syrian-French relations.

The two countries emphasized the importance of the role played by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in uncovering facts related to the former regime’s chemical weapons program, identifying and verifying remaining elements of this program, and working to destroy them in cooperation with Syria.

They also welcomed Damascus’s restoration of its rights and privileges within the OPCW, stressing their support for the organization’s efforts to address outstanding files, thereby strengthening the prohibition regime, consolidating the principle of non-impunity, and ensuring that such crimes are not repeated.