Netanyahu Responds to Syrian President at UN Over Golan Heights

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 declared that the Golan would remain Syrian territory and that any annexation measures were void under UN Security Council Resolution 497, adding that attempts to impose facts on the ground could not undermine his country's legitimacy or international law.

Speaking at the UN in New York, 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 then in Judea and Samaria, the heartland 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."