The Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned US President Trump’s comments on the Golan Heights as “irresponsible”, adding that the Syrian people are determined to recover the area through “all available means”, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports.
The Ministry pointed out that Trump's statement "confirms the US’s blind commitment to Israel and support for its aggressive behaviour".
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"It became clear to the international community that the United States and their reckless policies, which are dominated by arrogance and hegemonic ambitions, are a major factor in exacerbating the situation in the global arena and threaten peace and stability," the Ministry underscored.
It also noted that the US clearly violates international law and a number of UN resolutions, in particular, Resolution 497, in which Israel’s intentions to establish its laws in the Golan Heights are considered invalid and illegal.
Iran has also criticised what it described as Trump’s “illegal” and “unacceptable” remarks on the Golan Heights.
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow’s position on the matter remains unchanged and that “changing the status of the Golan Heights by bypassing the Security Council is a direct violation of UN decisions”.
The statement comes after Trump tweeted on Thursday that “after 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognise Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and regional stability.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, thanked Trump for “boldly” recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights "at a time when Iran seeks to use Syria as a platform to destroy Israel". US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in turn, claimed during his visit to Jerusalem on Thursday that President Trump had been sent by God to Earth in order to save Israel.
A strategic area covering some 1,200 square kilometres, the Golan Heights were occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Netanyahu has repeatedly underlined that the Jewish state would not meet Syria's demands that it retreat to the 1967 lines because they were “indefensible”, and that the Golan Heights would “remain in the hands of Israel forever”.