Syria accuses Israel of arming militias in Suwayda to sow 'chaos'
01:34, 14/10/2026, WednesdayU: Update: 01:47, 14/10/2026, Wednesday
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File PhotoForeign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Tuesday that Israel is supplying weapons and money to militias operating outside state authority in the southern city of Suwayda to pursue an “agenda of chaos,” urging the international community to halt such actions and return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Tuesday accused Israel of arming and funding militias operating outside state authority in the southern city of Suwayda, saying such support aims to carry out an “agenda of chaos” in the region. Speaking at a joint news conference in Damascus with Sabrina Dallafior, director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, al-Shaibani said Israel has sought to destabilize Syria since December 2024 — when the Assad regime was toppled.
Al-Shaibani charged that Israeli forces have attacked Syrian infrastructure and occupied additional territory since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, exacerbating an already volatile security situation. He said these actions represent a systematic effort to undermine Syria’s stability and territorial integrity.
Forced displacement and arrests
The foreign minister accused Israeli troops of forcibly displacing Syrian civilians and conducting arbitrary arrests, adding that the fate of dozens of detainees remains unknown. He called on the international community to take immediate steps to halt Israeli actions that threaten to plunge the region into broader chaos.
Calls for 1974 accord revival
Al-Shaibani urged a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement and the deployment of UN forces to implement its provisions, noting that Israel currently occupies most of Syria’s Golan Heights and recently seized the demilitarized buffer zone. He stressed the importance of allowing UN peacekeepers to resume their monitoring role along the ceasefire line.
The minister also pressed Israel to engage seriously in US-sponsored negotiations that have been underway for a year and a half, stating that Damascus remains committed to reaching an agreement that respects Syrian security and sovereignty. Syrian and Israeli delegations last met in August in Jordan under US mediation to discuss halting attacks and withdrawing Israeli forces to positions held before December 2024.
