Syria warns Israel poses ‘the greatest threat’ to Middle East stability

UNSC meeting on Syria turned into a heated debate between Israel and Turkiye over troops in Syrian territory.The United Nations Security Council’s monthly meeting on Syria’s post-Assad transition has seen Syria, Israel and Turkiye trade accusations over who can rightfully have a military presence on Syrian soil.Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi, told council members on Thursday that he had hoped to focus on the country’s progress but was compelled to address Israel’s actions in Syria, according to a UN summary of the meeting.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israel expands military control in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria by 1,000sq kmlist 2 of 3Syria begins destroying al-Assad-era chemical weapons materialslist 3 of 3Syria detains Assad-era general accused of bloody crackdown on protestsend of list“Israel penetrated our villages, displaced our people, bombed our facilities while we chose to spare the region further suffering,” he said, accusing Israel of responding to mediation efforts and dialogue with “air strikes, incursions and violations”.Olabi said Israeli aggression poses “the greatest threat facing the stability of the entire region, not just Syria”, pointing to an emergency declaration by 44 nations outside the council chamber that condemned a visit by Israeli leadership to Jabal al-Sheikh inside Syrian territory on September 9 as an unlawful act and a “blatant violation” of international law.Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN Danny Danon at a UNSC meeting at UN headquarters in New York City [File: AFP]Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon downplayed Israel’s presence in Syria and shifted the focus to Turkiye.He warned that Ankara planned to expand its military capabilities inside Syria and take over the country, the UN report said.“If Israel’s tiny defensive buffer is considered a threat to Syrian stability, then what about a foreign power that controls a much larger portion of Syrian territory and is building its military presence there? I am talking about Turkiye,” he said.