Syria condemns Israeli strikes, calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting

China

Syria condemns Israeli strikes, calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting

2025-07-17 11:20 Last Updated At：15:37

Syria on Wednesday strongly condemned Israeli strikes targeting government institutes and civilian facilities in the Syrian capital Damascus and the southern province of Sweida, with the country's permanent representative to the United Nations calling for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in this regard.

Israeli warplanes on Wednesday attacked the Syrian Army General Command headquarters and the presidential palace area in central Damascus, leaving at least three civilians dead and 34 others injured.

In southern Syria, Israeli strikes also targeted government forces' convoys and positions in Sweida province, killing at least three senior officers in the village of al-Majimer.

"We condemn the attacks. And we called for an urgent meeting of the Security Council," Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Qusay Al-Dahhak said on Wednesday in New York City.

The United Nations Security Council has confirmed that the meeting will take place on Thursday afternoon local time.

In a statement released by the foreign affairs authorities, Syria condemned "in the harshest terms" the attacks targeting government institutes and civilian facilities in Damascus and Sweida.

The foreign ministry described the attacks as a clear breach of the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law, reaffirming its legitimate rights to defend territory and people by all means under international law.

The statement also called on the United Nations and the international community, including the Security Council, to condemn the repeated Israeli strikes on Syrian territory and to take "urgent and decisive measures" to curb what it called Israel's repeated violations.

The strikes came as Israel launched a series of raids targeting Syrian army positions in Damascus and Sweida amid violence between Druze militias, Bedouin fighters, and Syrian government forces in southern Syria.

U.S. stocks close higher amid criminal probe into Fed chair Powell

U.S. stocks finished slightly higher on Monday, staging a late-session recovery as investors navigated a volatile landscape marked by a criminal probe into the Federal Reserve leadership.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 86.13 points, or 0.17 percent, to 49,590.2. The S&P 500 added 10.99 points, or 0.16 percent, to 6,977.27. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 62.56 points, or 0.26 percent, to 23,733.9. Despite the positive close, the market experienced significant intraday turbulence, with the Dow dropping nearly 500 points at its session lows.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in positive territory. Consumer staples and industrials led the gainers, rising 1.42 percent and 0.75 percent, respectively. Financials and energy were the primary laggards, declining 0.8 percent and 0.66 percent.

Market sentiment was initially shaken by an announcement on Sunday from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who confirmed that federal prosecutors are investigating him over the Fed's multi-billion-dollar project to renovate its headquarters. Powell characterized the probe as an attempt by the Trump administration to compromise the Fed's independence.

Further weighing on the financial sector was a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to cap credit card interest rates at 10 percent for one year, which triggered a sell-off in banking stocks amid concerns over restricted lending and reduced profitability. Capital One shares plummeted 6.42 percent, while Citigroup, JPMorgan and Bank of America also recorded losses.

In contrast, retail giant Walmart led the Dow's advance, climbing 3 percent following news of its upcoming inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 index. The company also announced a strategic partnership with Google's Gemini AI to enhance the digital shopping experience.

Investors are awaiting Tuesday's release of the U.S. consumer price index for December 2025. Following last week's cooling labor market data, market participants increasingly expect the Fed to maintain interest rates at their current levels during the upcoming January meeting.