United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urges the international community to support people in Syria during a visit to Damascus. Multiple outlets report that Guterres makes the appeal as he begins his first trip to the country as UN chief, nearly two years after the fall of former Syrian strongman Bashar Assad. The reports say Guterres calls for continued international backing for Syrians amid the country’s ongoing humanitarian and political challenges.
In addition to urging support, at least one outlet reports that Guterres criticizes actions attributed to Israel in southern Syria. The overall coverage centers on Guterres’s message of solidarity and the need for sustained assistance, including attention to the conditions facing civilians following the change in leadership. The accounts are consistent in describing the timing and setting of the visit, Guterres’s role as UN secretary-general, and his public appeal to governments and the wider international community to help Syrians.
