Syria Slams Colombia's Golan Heights Sovereignty Recognition

Syria has issued a strong rebuke against Colombia after Bogota formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in 1967.

In an official statement on Tuesday, Syria's foreign affairs authority said it "categorically rejects and condemns" the position announced by the Colombian Foreign Ministry a day earlier. Damascus described the move as a direct violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

The Syrian statement reaffirmed that the Golan Heights remains an inseparable part of Syrian territory and reiterated its rejection of ongoing Israeli military attacks and incursions into the area.

Colombia announced its decision on Monday, citing Israel's security needs and its ability to protect its citizens as the rationale for recognizing Israeli control over the territory.

This makes Colombia only the second country in the world, after the United States, to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Washington made its formal recognition in 2019.

Israel extended its laws and administration over the Golan Heights in 1981, a move that was declared "null and void and without international legal effect" by UN Security Council Resolution 497. Most of the international community continues to regard the territory as occupied Syrian land.