Al-Shara’ Signs a Declaration of Intent Drafted by the SDF to Contain International Outrage Over the Coastal Massacres /  UN Security Council Discusses Syrian Situation as UN Mission Reports Consensus on International Protection

 March 11, 2025

The political editor wrote

In a surprising development, an agreement was announced in Damascus between Syria’s interim president, Ahmed Al-Shara’, and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi. The agreement consists of vague general principles with no concrete implementation details and serves as a declaration of intent previously proposed by the SDF to initiate negotiations on its vision of Syrian state unity. The SDF advocates a model it calls “decentralisation”, which in practice closely resembles federalism, though it avoids using the term explicitly. Under this arrangement, the SDF would retain its forces as an independent entity under the banner of Syria’s Ministry of Defense, where it would have significant representation in both numbers and influence. Similarly, it would maintain control over oil facilities and border crossings, both land and air, while operating under the Ministry of Transport within a pre-agreed framework for resource and revenue sharing.

The Damascus government, however, insists that true integration requires the dissolution of the SDF’s administrative structures and armed forces. Announcing the agreement without resolving this core dispute makes it more of a de-escalation initiative than a solution to the issue of territories outside government control.

Observers following the Syrian dossier believe that Al-Shara’s decision to sign the declaration, after having rejected it weeks earlier, was driven by the urgency of making a political breakthrough to defuse mounting international outrage against Damascus. This backlash has intensified due to the coastal massacres, which analysts overwhelmingly attribute directly to the Damascus government. They argue that these massacres are not mere excesses or violations that an investigation could resolve but rather the inevitable result of Damascus’ continued reliance on a military force composed of militia factions after dismantling the regular army and disbanding its officers and soldiers. This approach mirrors the U.S. occupation’s strategy in Iraq, where the dissolution of the national army fueled chaos and sectarian violence as part of a broader plan to spread instability.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is set to convene at the request of both the U.S. and Russia to discuss the situation in Syria. The UN mission continues to gather testimonies and petitions from residents of the Syrian coast, who, according to mission sources, have unanimously called for international protection.

In Lebanon, the Lebanese Army Command, Directorate of Guidance, announced in a statement that on 09/03/2025, after losing contact with one of its soldiers, investigations revealed that Israeli occupation forces had opened fire on him while he was in civilian attire in the outskirts of Kfar Shuba near the southern border. The attack left him wounded before he was taken into the occupied Palestinian territories.

The statement described this assault as part of a pattern of escalating Israeli aggressions against Lebanese citizens, citing a similar attack on the same day in Kafr Kila, Marjayoun, where Israeli gunfire resulted in the soldier’s martyrdom. These attacks coincide with Israel’s ongoing violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and security.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri stated that “Israel has clearly violated the ceasefire agreement and Resolution 1701”, while affirming that the Lebanese Army, as confirmed by the military technical committee overseeing the agreement, “is fully carrying out its duties south of the Litani River by dismantling Hezbollah’s stockpiles and securing the designated area”.

When asked whether Lebanon was being pressured to normalise relations with Israel, Mitri responded, “We are not prepared for that, but we have not reached a point where the choice is either signing a peace deal or facing continued Israeli occupation of Lebanese land”. He reaffirmed Lebanon’s official position, which remains aligned with the unified Arab stance as expressed in the Beirut Summit.

Regarding Hezbollah’s disarmament, Mitri pointed to the ministerial statement, which outlined national security strategies, saying, “When we begin this discussion, we will address the issue of arms and their future, but it is impossible for the government to have a fixed timeline for forcibly disarming Hezbollah. Perhaps some parties expected that”. He added, “We are committed to ensuring that the Lebanese Army and security agencies fully enforce state authority across Lebanese territory. However, the means to achieve this remain open to discussion. This is not a time for reckless decisions that could set Lebanon back by years”.