Merve Aydogan
18 March 2026•Update: 18 March 2026
HAMILTON, Canada
The UN warned on Wednesday that escalating regional hostilities are threatening Syria's "fragile" transition, as it urged the international community to redouble efforts to shield the country from wider conflict while sustaining its recovery.
Highlighting the "alarming" effect of regional hostilities on Syria, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone told the Security Council that "incidents inside Syrian territory have mainly involved the crashing of debris following interception of Iranian missiles and drones in Syrian airspace, causing civilian casualties, and one incident of shelling from Lebanon attributed to Hezbollah."
He stressed that Israeli military activity is compounding the threat, noting that "Israeli helicopter and drone operations in Syrian airspace have increased, and Israeli forces continued to carry out incursions into Syrian territory."
Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have also claimed Syrian lives, he said, pushing 140,000 people, mostly Syrians, across the border into Syria.
"I reiterate our call in this context on Israel to fully respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, adhere to the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, and refrain from any actions that could undermine Syria’s stability and political transition," he said.
While commending the Syrian government for working to insulate the country from escalation, Cordone warned about the economic toll, saying the conflict had forced authorities to reduce electricity supply and had disrupted cross-border trade.
"Syria's steady but fragile recovery, political, institutional and economic, could be undermined by the impact of a prolonged regional conflict," he said, calling on the Council to refocus on helping Syria "continue, and accelerate, its path towards recovery, reconstruction and stability."
Briefing on behalf of UN relief chief Tom Fletcher, Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya said, "Syria is already experiencing the effects of the military escalation in the region," with debris from aerial projectiles killing and injuring civilians, and more than 140,000 people having fled Lebanon into Syria.
She made three requests of the Council: sustained diplomatic engagement to resolve flashpoints; continued humanitarian funding in the near-term, noting Syria’s appeal received only about one-third of the $3.2 billion required; and long-term investment in recovery and development.
Msuya warned that regional volatility risks diverting international attention and constraining resources at a critical moment.
"Syria continues to present a rare and genuine opportunity to begin reversing a humanitarian emergency of historical magnitude," she said, stressing that "It would be a tragic mistake if our support to the people of Syria lost momentum now."
