Israel 'must stop' plans to expand settlements in occupied Syrian Golan Heights: UN

Israel must not expand its construction of settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, the UN said Tuesday.

"Reported plans to expand Israeli settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan must stop," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Israel approved on April 16 a five-year $334 million plan to develop illegal settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, according to Israeli media.

The plan, covering 2026-2030, allocates approximately 1 billion shekels ($334 million) to strengthen infrastructure and promote Israeli population growth in the occupied territory, The Times of Israel news portal reported.

Israeli officials said the initiative aims to transform the settlement of Katzrin into “Golan’s first city,” according to Cabinet Minister Ze’ev Elkin.

Under international law, the Golan Heights are recognized as Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, and settlement expansion there is considered illegal.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said on April 17 that Damascus is seeking a new security agreement with Israel that would ensure withdrawal to the 1974 disengagement lines as part of a phased approach to possible broader negotiations.

Speaking at a panel during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye, Sharaa said the 1974 agreement had held for more than five decades but was later undermined by Israeli violations, particularly after the fall of the former Syrian regime in December 2024.

“We are now entering the first level (of talks), which is seeking a security agreement that guarantees Israel’s withdrawal to the 1974 borders and sets new rules by either commitment to the agreement or adjusting it in a way that guarantees the security of both sides,” he said.

He added that, if successful, the process could lead to long-term negotiations aimed at resolving the status of the occupied Golan Heights.

Delivery of aid to southern Lebanon hindered by Israeli destruction, deconfliction

Turning to Lebanon, Dujarric said "a number of" roads have been destroyed or are otherwise impassible in the south as a result of Israeli strikes, complicating efforts to move humanitarian aid into the region. UN peacekeepers are continuing to carry out aid efforts, but are limited in how much they can do, he said.

"Within the so-called 'buffer zone,' our peacekeeping colleagues are doing whatever they can to deliver some humanitarian aid," he said. "As you know, all of that demands deconfliction, which is sometimes successful, which is sometimes denied, and sometimes we are given a green light, and we still face challenges."

Asked about the residents of southern Lebanon whose homes have been destroyed by Israel, Dujarric said any reconstruction will only be sustainable if a "sustainable end" to the war is brokered.