'The Syrian nation is more determined to liberate this precious piece of Syrian national land through all available means,' a foreign ministry source said.
The Syrian government has pushed back at President Donald Trump for suggesting it is time to formally recognize Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, the mountainous region marking the border between the two nations.
The Heights are of vital strategic importance to both sides. Israeli observation posts in the Golan can peer deep into Syria, even as far as the capital Damascus. This puts the Syrians at a stark disadvantage. Israel never signed a peace treaty with Syria, so its control of the Heights also offers leverage in any future negotiations, for example, as a way to pressure Damascus for official recognition of the Israeli state.
Syrian allies Iran and Russia also condemned Trump’s Twitter diplomacy. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson told state television the recognition was “illegal and unacceptable" and “does not change the fact that it belongs to Syria.” Russia warned that a change in the status of the Heights would violate United Nations resolutions, Reuters reported.
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