At the 22nd Manama Dialogue 2026, Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani called for a return to pre-Dec. 8, 2024 lines, citing attacks he said had killed dozens. The remarks came during a regional security session on Oct. 31, SANA reported.
Al-Shaibani put the tally above 1,000 attacks in less than two years, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). He questioned how Syria could be expected to strengthen border security and bring weapons under state control while, in his account, Syrian sovereignty faced daily violations.
He also urged implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, pairing that call with a return to the earlier lines. His remarks linked Syria’s border and weapons policies to the Israeli actions he described.
An earlier EconoTimes report on Israel’s deployment in southern Syria said Israeli forces had entered the U.N.-monitored buffer zone as their presence expanded after Bashar al-Assad’s government fell in December 2024.
