DAMASCUS, Syria — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Syria on Saturday, urging the global community to step up and help the Syrian people in what he called a critical moment for the country — his first trip to the Arab nation in his role as U.N. chief, coming nearly two years after the fall of Bashar Assad.
The visit marks the first time a U.N. secretary-general has set foot in the Syrian capital since 2009.
Shortly after touching down, Guterres sat down for talks with Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa. He later toured Damascus’s historic old quarter and visited the well-known Umayyad Mosque.
“I have just arrived in Damascus for a visit of solidarity,” Guterres wrote on X at the outset of his three-day trip, adding that the United Nations stands with Syria during this “pivotal moment.”
“I appeal to the international community to spare no effort to support the people of Syria as well,” the U.N. chief added.
Syria has been working to recover from a devastating civil war that erupted in March 2011, a conflict that claimed nearly half a million lives and left widespread destruction estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars to repair.
The Assad family’s five-decade grip on power collapsed in December 2024, when armed fighters loyal to al-Sharaa swept into Damascus. Since then, the country has faced the twin challenges of rebuilding from years of war and overcoming the economic damage caused by long-standing Western sanctions.
Although the United States and European nations have lifted a number of those sanctions, the relief felt by ordinary Syrians on the ground has so far been minimal.
Reductions in international aid have made day-to-day life even harder for many residents. The United Nations estimates that nine out of ten Syrians are currently living in poverty.
A World Bank assessment released last year put the price tag for rebuilding Syria following more than a decade of civil war at approximately $216 billion.
As part of his visit, Guterres is expected to meet with the U.N. peacekeeping force stationed along Syria’s border with Israel.
Following his rise to power, al-Sharaa stated he had no interest in conflict with Israel. However, Israel expressed wariness toward the new Islamist-led government and moved swiftly to take control of a buffer zone along the border.
Since then, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes targeting Syrian military sites and has conducted periodic incursions into villages beyond the buffer zone, some of which have resulted in violent clashes with local residents.
