Syria does not rule out military options to retake the Golan Heights.
Syria has the right to reclaim the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel, by any means necessary, including military means, the director of the Golan Department at the Syrian Ministry, Midhat Salih, said in an interview with Sputnik. "The Golan Heights are an integral part of Syrian territory. We have the right to reclaim these lands at any time and in any way we deem appropriate," he said.
Sputnik - Syria has the right to reclaim the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel, by any means necessary, including military means, the director of the Golan department at the Syrian Ministry, Midhat Salih, said in an interview with Sputnik.
"The Golan Heights are an integral part of Syrian territory. We have the right to reclaim these lands at any time and in any way we deem appropriate. In my opinion, the only language Israel understands is the language of force and resistance. Israel will only withdraw from Arab territories under pressure from resistance forces," said Salih.
"We are at war with Israel, and we have that right because Israel does not recognize international resolutions and UN Security Council resolutions, and the US supports Israel in this respect. We have the right to reclaim the Golan Heights in the way that is most appropriate for us, including war or popular resistance. It is our right, guaranteed by international resolutions," he added.
According to Salih, Syria hopes that the international community will be able to end the occupation of the Golan Heights, but for more than 50 years all the decisions and resolutions have remained on paper.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on April 4 that Syria does not rule out a military solution for the occupied Golan Heights, but that Syria's priority now is the fight against terrorism. Recently, in a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, US President Donald Trump signed a declaration recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
As a result of the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel occupied the Golan Heights (then belonging to Syria) and unilaterally annexed this territory in 1981. Sovereignty over this territory remains the main point of contention between Israel and Syria, with attempts to resolve it even before the start of the Syrian civil war.