Netanyahu Responds to Syria's Golan Heights Claims at UN

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a sharp message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from the UN General Assembly podium on Thursday, asserting Jewish historical presence in the Golan Heights. Netanyahu's remarks were a direct response to al-Assad's speech the previous day, during which the Syrian president condemned Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Al-Assad had declared at the UN that the Golan would remain Syrian territory and that any annexation measures were void under UN Security Council Resolution 497. He further stated that attempts to impose facts on the ground could not undermine Syria's legitimacy or international law.

Addressing these points, Netanyahu stated, "This is not the first time we have faced annihilation. On June 5, 1967, Israel was surrounded by enemies who swore to destroy us. We were not yet in Judea and Samaria, the heart of the Jewish homeland, we were not in Gaza, we were not in the Golan Heights. And Mr. Assad, you should know, that Jews were in the Golan Heights since the days of Moses, you can read about it in the Bible."