Syria vows to fight against ‘occupiers’ US, Turkey, Israel

Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, Dr Bashar Al-Jaafari, has said that any presence of unauthorised foreign forces on Syrian soil amounts to “aggression and occupation” reiterating the Syrian Arab Republic’s sovereign right to defend itself.

“Syria will not abandon its right in defending its land and resources, and continuing the fight against terrorism as well as liberating its occupied lands whether the occupier was an American, Turkish, Israeli, or from the terrorist originations,” Al-Jaafari said during a UN Security council teleconference session.

State-run SANA reported that he mentioned the Turkish government’s role in “supporting and sponsoring” terrorist organisations, amounting to a flagrant violation of its obligations to international law and the Sochi and Astana agreements.

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Al-Jaafari also highlighted the recent move by US forces in the country who established a new military base in Deir Ez-Zor in order to tighten its control over Syria’s oil resources.

“The last period also witnessed Israeli aggressions on Syria from over the occupied Syrian Golan lands and neighbouring countries,” he added. Last month Al-Jaafari maintained that the liberation of the Golan was a priority for Damascus.

The accusations are similar to those made in a February statement by the general-command of the Syrian military which said that Israel and Turkey were “supporting terrorism” in Syria, accusing Ankara of sending its military convoys to fight in Syria.

Turkey has launched two military campaigns in Syria in what it says is an effort to stop Kurdish terror groups from gaining ground along its border. It has also been trying to impose a “safe zone” in northern Syria to allow the return of some of the 3.5 million Syrian refugees it is currently housing.

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