Syria is rising, al-Sharaa tells UN—but challenges remain at home

Ahmed al-Sharaa returned to the UN General Assembly in New York last week, with his country having undergone a dramatic diplomatic rehabilitation since his first visit to the international forum last year. Suspicions that still lingered around al-Sharaa’s radical Islamist roots at that time have now mostly dissipated and he has been welcomed as a reliable ally in regional and Western diplomatic circles alike.

“Last year I mentioned that Syria has returned. Today, I say that Syria is rising,” al-Sharaa said, listing the country’s accomplishments: counternarcotics operations, territorial unification and transitional justice trials.

“Last year I mentioned that Syria has returned. Today, I say that Syria is rising.”

Internationally, Syria has greatly improved its political standing, but progress on the domestic front is lagging in comparison. The challenge for al-Sharaa now lies in turning diplomatic openings into material progress for Syrians at home. That entails strengthening state institutions, advancing economic prosperity and protecting Syrian sovereignty—all issues that remain major challenges for Syria but must be secured to fulfill al-Sharaa’s declaration that his country is now rising.

Insisting on a Syrian Golan

On the sidelines of his speech at the General Assembly, al-Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump and Gulf leaders to discuss regional tensions amid the war with Iran.

The meeting was a stark reminder of Syria’s complete realignment in the regional order. Once an important part of Iran’s regional network, Syria is now working to curb its influence. Syrian operations against weapons smuggling to Hezbollah have degraded Iran’s reach in Lebanon. Syria has also offered a land corridor for transporting fuel to European markets amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. That has relieved pressure on the global supply chain, decreasing Iran’s leverage in ongoing negotiations with the US.

Read more: Oil flows, fuel runs dry: Syria’s paradox as a new energy corridor

Through these maneuvers, Syria has positioned itself as a reliable partner to the US and Gulf states in a volatile region. But Syria’s allies have not fully reciprocated this goodwill by supporting its sovereignty in the face of continued Israeli incursions.

“The world is excited about our return. But Israel is launching attacks against Syria,” said al-Sharaa, framing Israel as the central threat to Syria’s security. “There have been 500 airstrikes, more than 1,200 incursions and 300 detentions,” al-Sharaa added, describing Israel’s ongoing military campaign.

Al-Sharaa focused particularly on the Golan Heights, to which he traces his roots, insisting that it “will remain Syrian territory.”

Despite al-Sharaa’s defiant rhetoric, the issue of the Golan Heights remains completely intractable. Israel continues to entrench itself in the territory, spending nearly $300 million on a new settlement which will be finished by 2030 and cultivating support from the local Druze population. The US recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019, during Trump’s first term. 

In a sideline event with the DC-based think tank, the Atlantic Council, al-Sharaa joked, referring to Trump and Israel, “Why don’t you give them New Jersey? I mean, you don’t own the Golan Heights, so how can you give it to Israel?”

The comment elicited laughter across the room.

A day after al-Sharaa’s UN speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood at the same podium and claimed, “The Jews have been on the Golan Heights since the days of Moses. You can read it in the Bible.”

While al-Sharaa devoted a large portion of his speech to the Golan, he focused more attention on Israel’s occupation of areas of southwestern Syria beyond the Golan, which began immediately after Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed. Here, the Israeli army has continued to carry out raids and abductions, with Damascus unable to intervene.

In his interview with the Atlantic Council, al-Sharaa said that for now, Syria was focused on ending, through talks, Israel’s occupation of areas captured after 2024, rather than the Golan Heights.

“The Americans are engaging with us in this dialogue and in these negotiations. However, things are not easy,” he said.

A rally of Syrian Americans outside the UN ahead of al-Sharaa’s speech, New York, September 25/09/2026 (Photo: Ananya Natchukuri)

Diaspora support

The transitional government has maintained a steady base of support amongst the Syrian diaspora in the West, leveraging them as a bridge to economic development and diplomatic reintegration.

Syrian Americans showed up in support at a rally outside the UN, in anticipation of al-Sharaa’s speech on Wednesday. The crowd erupted into cheers and ululations when he stopped to greet the attendees. Throughout the afternoon, local leaders in the Syrian American community voiced optimism for Syria’s future and highlighted the need for the diaspora to pitch in for reconstruction efforts.

“May our thoughts, actions, and dreams be directed towards the benefit of our nation,” said Mohammed Khairallah, the Syrian-American mayor of the New Jersey town of Prospect Park. He invited the crowd to attend a charity event for Syria later that evening.

Mouaz Mustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), a US-based advocacy group that recently campaigned successfully in Washington to lift the Caesar sanctions, spoke at the rally. He highlighted his organization’s work in supporting the transitional justice process.

Many in the crowd expressed confidence in al-Sharaa’s leadership. Rally attendee Khalid Yassin, 40, told Syria Direct, “We’re looking forward to the new Syria… Ahmed al-Sharaa united the country after it was divided. Hopefully, he will get back Suwayda too. The Golan Heights is Syrian land and it should be returned to Syria.”

Ali, 26, who waved a flag combining the US and Syrian designs, said that the US should capitalize on its role as a mediator, bringing Syria and Israel together as “good neighbors.” He left Syria in 2012 with his family after the onset of the war. He is particularly excited by what he perceives as the expanded scope of freedoms in Syria.

The transitional government has appointed several diaspora members to key ministerial roles, courted investment by entrepreneurs of Syrian origin and welcomed Syrian-American delegations to Damascus. Addressing a crowd of Syrian Americans at a separate event on the evening before his UNGA speech, al-Sharaa stressed the importance of the diaspora’s role in supporting Syria’s reconstruction.

From crisis to opportunity

Syria’s economy has benefited from a convergence of diaspora support, international aid and the lifting of sanctions.

“Syria has turned from a crisis to an opportunity,” al-Sharaa said during his UN speech, listing achievements on the economic front. “We have more than 500 production lines, and we have seen an increase in agricultural production to ensure self-sufficiency. We also enhanced the service sector,” he said.

However, the swell of optimism spurred by the initial announcement of sanctions relief and the official government narrative around increasing prosperity stands in stark contrast to the deep financial woes of many Syrians. According to the United Nations, 90% of Syrians are living below the poverty line. 

Their persistent discontent came into full view earlier this month when protests erupted as fuel prices rose due to the government’s decision to lift subsidies. The protests are raising deeper structural questions on whether the government should prioritize a long-term economic liberalization strategy over short-term relief measures for citizens and how Syria can insulate itself against economic shocks induced by regional volatility.

“The current phase is a transition from sanctions relief to an implementation challenge,” Mulham al-Jazamaty, a political economist at Karam Shaar Advisory, told Syria Direct. “Syria now has much more economic room to maneuver, but the quality of institutions, banking reform, security, infrastructure and the credibility of economic policymaking will determine how much of that opportunity becomes actual growth,” he added.

Challenges abound, but al-Sharaa ended his second UNGA address on an optimistic note. “We came to you at the 80th session to announce that we are back. And at the 81st session, we came to you to announce our achievements. And at the 82nd session, we will come together again to reap the fruit of strategic partnerships, partnerships that made Syria an international actor that builds prosperity,” he concluded.