UN Envoy Urges International Support for Syrian Reconstruction While Highlighting Concerns Over Israeli Operations in the South

NEW YORK, 3 October 2026: The United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Claudio Cordone, called on the international community to turn political backing into concrete assistance and funding to rebuild Syria’s economy and institutions. In a statement to UN News, Cordone also warned that Israeli military activities are threatening stability in southern Syria.

• International backing must translate into practical aid and funding.
• Israeli operations, including shelling, abductions and searches, are jeopardising stability in southern Syria.

He said the UN would work with Syrian authorities on an international recovery and reconstruction conference to mobilise financial support. He noted that roughly four million people have returned to Syria despite difficult economic conditions and damaged infrastructure, underscoring the need to address the needs of returnees and communities across the country.

Cordone praised Syria’s role in eliminating chemical weapons and its avoidance of regional conflicts. He described the formation of Syria’s People’s Assembly as an important step in rebuilding state institutions, citing progress in integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces and supporting Kurdish‑language education.

He welcomed the establishment of national bodies dealing with transitional justice and missing persons, investigations into violence in the coastal region and Sweida, and the start of trials. Cordone stressed that accountability, truth‑seeking, reparations and reform were essential for Syria to overcome the legacy of past abuses and achieve lasting peace.

The warning came as Israeli forces carried out an overnight incursion into Maariya village in the Yarmouk Basin area of western Daraa. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), about 12 Israeli military vehicles entered the village via the northern “Valley Road”, raided homes and detained two residents; one was later released, the other remains missing.

Israel has repeatedly carried out incursions, raids and shelling in southern Syria. Damascus says such actions violate the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and international law. Syria continues to demand the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territory, a move it says has no legal effect under international law.

Cordone concluded that UN efforts should focus on supporting Syria’s recovery and political transition while respecting its sovereignty, territorial integrity and the principles of international law.