ANKARA, January 23. /TASS/. The new Syrian authorities do not accept Israel's actions in the republic and are waiting for the UN to take necessary steps and put pressure on the Jewish state, Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told the A haber TV channel.
"Israel's advancement [inside Syria] is certainly unacceptable," al-Sharaa stated. "They used to justify these actions with the presence of Hezbollah and Iran, but that excuse no longer works. Israel needs to stop this. We do not accept the occupation of Syrian land. We are focused on our own development and do not seek war with Israel or any other country. However, we have made it clear to Israel that it must cease these actions. We call on the UN to intervene and exert pressure on this country."
Meanwhile, he noted that Damascus has so far "received no response from either Israel or the UN." "If this continues, we will certainly seek intervention from the international community to bring Israel under control and apply pressure on it," he added.
He emphasized that the authorities' key priority "is the reconstruction of the country and the return of Syrian refugees."