United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the international community to support the people of Syria and criticized Israel's actions in the country's south as he kicked off his first visit to the Arab nation as UN chief, nearly two years after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Guterres arrived Saturday morning at Damascus international airport, where he and his delegation were met by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

The trip marks the first visit by a UN Secretary-General to Syria since Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the start of the civil war. "I have just arrived in Damascus for a visit of solidarity," Guterres posted on X at the start of his three-day visit, adding that the United Nations stands with Syria at this "pivotal moment."

Shortly after arriving, Guterres held talks with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa before touring the old quarter of Damascus and the Umayyad Mosque. He also visited the notorious Sednaya military prison, a sprawling complex north of Damascus that became synonymous with some of the worst atrocities committed under Assad family rule.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Guterres at the presidential palace in Damascus, state news agency SANA said. A statement from al-Sharaa's office said the meeting addressed strengthening cooperation between Syria and the UN in the humanitarian and development fields.

A Call for Reconstruction Support

"No country emerges from a very severe conflict and rebuilds itself on its own," Guterres said after the talks at a joint press conference with al-Shaibani. "We must help Syria in its determination and resolve to do so."

Al-Shaibani reiterated Syria's request for more support from the international community, especially the European Union, and said the talks with al-Sharaa focused on increasing UN support for reconstruction and a government plan to close displacement camps.

The scale of the task ahead is considerable. An assessment last year by the World Bank said rebuilding Syria is expected to cost about $216 billion, and the UN estimates that 90% of Syria's population lives in poverty. Since Assad's ousting, some 1.9 million internally displaced people and 1.7 million refugees from abroad have returned, according to the UN, while around 5.5 million people remain displaced inside the country and another six million overseas. An estimated 15.6 million people require humanitarian assistance.

"Today, Syria stands at a moment of possibility," Guterres said. "The opportunity now is not only to recover from conflict, but to lay the foundations for a future that is more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous for all Syrians." He said the UN stood ready to support the political transition, including efforts to ensure transitional justice, draft a permanent constitution, and hold free and fair elections. "We have no UN agenda for Syria. Our agenda is the agenda of the Syrian government and the Syrian people."

Golan Heights Remarks Draw a Line

Guterres reserved his sharpest language for Israel's presence in southern Syria. "I'd like to remind the international community that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory," he said. "Violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable and must cease."

Speaking about the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, a region considered occupied Syrian territory by the international community, Guterres said the UN recognizes "without limitations, that the Golan Heights belong to Syria." Israel captured the Golan Heights during the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it in 1981. In 2019, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the region.

After Assad's overthrow, Israel sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan since 1974, and has carried out strikes and repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory. Israeli officials have said they intend to keep forces in a "security zone" in southern Syria. Al-Shaibani criticized Israel for violating Syrian sovereignty, saying there can be no regional peace amid the continuation of Israeli military operations and occupation that form a "direct threat to the security of the region."

Despite the tensions, Israel and Syria's new authorities have held several rounds of direct talks and agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism, though the move has not halted Israeli military activity.

Sanctions Relief and a Return to the Global Stage

Guterres closed the visit Sunday with a push on sanctions. "I welcome steps that have eased sanctions, and opening new possibilities for economic recovery, but all these sanctions must be removed immediately," he told a press conference in Damascus, concluding what he called a "deeply meaningful and productive visit." He said Syria "needs investment in its people, its economy and its institutions," along with support to restore essential services, rebuild infrastructure, and revive livelihoods. "I have no doubt to say this transition is going in the right direction," he added.

The United States has lifted most sanctions on Syria, and Trump informed al-Sharaa earlier this month that he intended to remove Syria from Washington's list of state sponsors of terrorism. Last year, al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president since 1967 to take part in the UN General Assembly in New York.

The transition has not been without violence. Nearly 1,500 Alawites — the sect Assad belongs to — were killed in Syria's coastal region last year by government-aligned factions, and hundreds of Syrians from the Druze minority were killed months later in the south. Guterres expressed alarm over both bouts of violence and has called for accountability.

The visit also came weeks after two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night, overshadowing the first visit to Syria by a European Union head of state since Assad was toppled. Syrian authorities said they uncovered the cell responsible for the bombings, arresting suspects affiliated with ISIS.

Guterres is expected to address Syria's new parliament on Monday before traveling onward to Cyprus.