{"id":2461,"date":"2026-07-25T12:55:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T12:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/07\/25\/guterres-arrives-in-syria-for-first-un-secretary-general-visit-since-before-civil-war\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T12:55:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T12:55:41","slug":"guterres-arrives-in-syria-for-first-un-secretary-general-visit-since-before-civil-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=2461","title":{"rendered":"Guterres arrives in Syria for first UN secretary-general visit since before civil war"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--banner-top o-ad-container--with-shimmer o-ad-container--with-background\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-type=\"sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-status=\"disabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring__wrapper\">\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content t-content--article\" id=\"main-content\">\n<div class=\"t-content__above-sidebar\">\n<h1 class=\"t-content__title a-page-title\">Guterres arrives in Syria for first UN secretary-general visit since before civil war<\/h1>\n<div class=\"m-master-tag\">\n<div class=\"a-tag-section\">\n                                    Middle East\n                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"t-content__chapo\">\n                                        UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres touched down in Damascus Saturday for a three-day visit where he is expected to reaffirm support for the multi-confessional country&#8217;s efforts to rebuild after more than a decade of bloody civil war.\u00a0                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__with-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"t-content__beside-sidebar\" data-article-content>\n<div class=\"t-content__metadata\">\n<div class=\"t-content__dates\">\n<p class=\"m-pub-dates\"><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Issued on: <time datetime=\"2026-07-25T06:08:03+00:00\">25\/07\/2026 &#8211; 08:08<\/time><\/span><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Modified: <time datetime=\"2026-07-25T12:30:47+00:00\">25\/07\/2026 &#8211; 14:30<\/time><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-reading-time\">\n    <span class=\"a-reading-time__icon\" title=\"Reading time\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/span><br \/>\n    3 min    <span class=\"u-sr-only\">Reading time<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a-share-button\" data-root-share>\n<p>                            <span class=\"a-master-button__label\">Share<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__authors\">\n<div class=\"m-from-author\">\n                    <span class=\"m-from-author__by-label\"><br \/>\n                By:<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-author\">\n<div class=\"m-author__name\">\n                                                    <a href=\"\/en\/author\/france-24\/\" title=\"FRANCE 24\" class=\"m-author__name__title\"><br \/>\n                                FRANCE 24<br \/>\n                            <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__main-media\">\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/8466258c-8824-11f1-a00d-005056a90284\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/AP26206334587919.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/8466258c-8824-11f1-a00d-005056a90284\/w:388\/p:16x9\/AP26206334587919.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/8466258c-8824-11f1-a00d-005056a90284\/w:720\/p:16x9\/AP26206334587919.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/8466258c-8824-11f1-a00d-005056a90284\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/AP26206334587919.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1012px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, welcomes United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, July 25, 2026\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, welcomes United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, July 25, 2026.         \u00a9 Omar Albam, AP    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__body u-clearfix\">\n<p>United Nations Secretary-General <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/antonio-guterres\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Antonio Guterres<\/a> arrived in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/syria\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Syria<\/a> on Saturday on the first visit by a head of the global body since before the country&#8217;s civil war broke out, state media reported.<\/p>\n<p>During the three-day visit, Guterres is set to reaffirm support for Syria&#8217;s transition, more than a year and a half after the new authorities led by President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/abu-mohammed-al-jolani\/\" target=\"_self\">Ahmed al-Sharaa<\/a> overthrew longtime ruler <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/bashar-al-assad\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Bashar al-Assad<\/a> after more than 13 years of war.<\/p>\n<p>Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani received Guterres &#8220;and his accompanying delegation at Damascus international airport&#8221;, state news agency SANA reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Read more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260710-how-top-syrian-diplomat-asaad-al-shaibani-road-damascus-shaking-mideast\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">How top Syrian diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani\u2019s road to Damascus is shaking the Mideast<\/a><\/p>\n<p>He is the first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/united-nations\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">UN<\/a> chief to visit Syria since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/ban-ki-moon\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Ban Ki-moon<\/a> in 2009, two years before the start of Syria&#8217;s civil war that went on to kill more than half a million people before Assad&#8217;s overthrow in December 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Sharaa, who broke ties with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/al-qaeda\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">al Qaeda<\/a> in 2016, led an alliance of Islamist rebel factions that ousted Assad \u200bin a lightning offensive in December 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Since Sharaa took power, the international community has urged the new Islamist authorities to build strong and effective institutions and establish a governance system that includes all components of Syria&#8217;s multi-ethnic, multi-confessional country society.<\/p>\n<p>The transition has been marred by two major episodes of sectarian bloodshed that have tested Sharaa&#8217;s repeated pledges to protect \u200bSyria&#8217;s religious minorities. Nearly 1,500 Alawites\u00a0\u2013 the minority religion to which Assad belonged \u2013 were killed in Syria&#8217;s coastal region last year by government-aligned factions, \u200band hundreds of Syrians from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/druze\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Druze<\/a> minority were killed months later in the country&#8217;s \u200bsouth.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres expressed alarm over both bouts of violence and has called for accountability.<\/p>\n<p>The UN secretary-general &#8220;will emphasise that the opportunity now is not only to recover from conflict, but also to lay the foundations for a future for Syria that will be more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous for all Syrians&#8221;, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said ahead of the visit.<\/p>\n<p>He will also &#8220;reaffirm the role of the United Nations is to accompany and support the Syrian people on this journey&#8221;, Dujarric added.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Defining moment&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>UN special envoy to the country Claudio Cordone said earlier this week that Guterres would &#8220;reaffirm the United Nations commitment to supporting the Syrian government and the Syrian people at this defining period in Syria&#8217;s history&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres is to meet Sharaa, who last year made a landmark visit to the UN where he became the first Syrian president in decades to address the body&#8217;s General Assembly.<\/p>\n<p>The UN chief is also set to meet representatives of Syrian civil society and non-governmental organisations supporting women&#8217;s issues, and to address the new transitional parliament, which held its first session earlier this month.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-em-video\">\n<div class=\"m-em-video__title\"> Replay: French and Syrian leaders hold press conference in Damascus<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-video-player o-video-player--16x9\" data-media-video-wbmz570951-f24-en-20260725 data-show-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ570951-F24-EN-20260725\" data-wrapper-video-player data-youtube-script>\n<div class=\"o-em-consent \">\n<div class=\"o-em-consent__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-consent__content__text\">To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.<\/p>\n<p>        <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"accept\"><br \/>\n            Accept<\/p>\n<p>        <\/button><br \/>\n        <button class=\"a-link\" data-action=\"manage\">Manage my choices                <\/p>\n<p><\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock\" data-adblock-content>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-adblock__content__text\">One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.<\/p>\n<p>            <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"reload\">Try again<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/68028a9c-7a0b-11f1-bbb9-005056a97e36\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/2026-07-07T132555Z-1971367345-RC219MAPQOQF-RTRMADP-3-SYRIA-POLITICS-FRANCE.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/68028a9c-7a0b-11f1-bbb9-005056a97e36\/w:388\/p:16x9\/2026-07-07T132555Z-1971367345-RC219MAPQOQF-RTRMADP-3-SYRIA-POLITICS-FRANCE.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/68028a9c-7a0b-11f1-bbb9-005056a97e36\/w:720\/p:16x9\/2026-07-07T132555Z-1971367345-RC219MAPQOQF-RTRMADP-3-SYRIA-POLITICS-FRANCE.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/68028a9c-7a0b-11f1-bbb9-005056a97e36\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/2026-07-07T132555Z-1971367345-RC219MAPQOQF-RTRMADP-3-SYRIA-POLITICS-FRANCE.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) calc(100vw - 32px), (max-width: 1076px) calc(100vw - 44px), 850px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"Replay: French and Syrian leaders give a press conference on Syrian reconstruction and regional stability\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n    Cover image:            Replay: French and Syrian leaders give a press conference on Syrian reconstruction and regional stability        REUTERS &#8211; Mahmoud Hassano    <\/figcaption><div class=\"m-item-image__overlay-wrapper\">\n                <button class=\"m-main-media-btn\" aria-label=\" Replay: French and Syrian leaders hold press conference in Damascus: Play the video\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"m-main-media-btn__picto\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-circle-loader\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><br \/>\n<time class=\"a-media-time\">36:39<\/time>                <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ570951-F24-EN-20260725\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>He is also set to visit a UN peacekeeping force that has been stationed in south Syria&#8217;s Israeli-occupied <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/golan-heights\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Golan Heights<\/a> since 1974.<\/p>\n<p>After Assad&#8217;s December 2024 overthrow, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Israel<\/a> sent troops to occupy the UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan, and has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260629-syria-slams-new-israeli-incursion-in-southern-daraa-province\" target=\"_self\">carried out strikes and repeated incursions<\/a> deeper into Syrian territory.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli officials have said they intend to keep forces in a &#8220;security zone&#8221; in southern Syria, where they seek a broader demilitarised zone.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres on Saturday said the situation around Syria&#8217;s Golan Heights was unacceptable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What is happening in the region around the Golan Heights is totally unacceptable,&#8221; Guterres told a press conference alongside Shaibani. The Syrian foreign minister called for an &#8220;immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal&#8221; from the area where they had advanced.<\/p>\n<p>Despite tensions between the neighbours, Israel and Syria&#8217;s new authorities have held several rounds of direct talks and have agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism, though the move has failed to halt Israeli military actions that have been condemned by the UN and members of the international community.<\/p>\n<p>Several senior UN officials have visited Syria since Assad&#8217;s fall, including rights chief Volker Turk and UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi, while a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/un-security-council\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">UN Security Council<\/a> delegation of ambassadors made its first-ever visit to Syria late last year.<\/p>\n<p><em>(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"o-sidebar__aside\">\n<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--box o-ad-container--with-shimmer\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__tags t-content__below-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"m-section-title m-section-title--small\">Keywords for this article<\/div>\n<ul class=\"m-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/syria\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Syria\">    Syria<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/antonio-guterres\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Antonio Guterres\">    Antonio Guterres<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/abu-mohammed-al-jolani\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu\u00a0Mohammed al-Jolani)\">    Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu\u00a0Mohammed al-Jolani)<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/bashar-al-assad\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Bashar al-Assad\">    Bashar al-Assad<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Israel\">    Israel<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/united-nations\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"UN\">    UN<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advertising Guterres arrives in Syria for first UN secretary-general visit since before civil war Middle&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}