Overview

• As the first Syrian head of state to speak at the UN General Debate in nearly six decades, al‑Scharaa framed Syria as pursuing stability, security and economic recovery.
• He traveled to New York under a temporary UN Security Council exemption to a sanctions travel ban that still lists him under his former nom de guerre.
• In a public interview, al‑Scharaa sat down with former U.S. General David Petraeus and also met EU representatives and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he courted international backing.
• U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said Israel and Syria are close to a de‑escalation agreement under discussion, while al‑Scharaa accused Israel of conducting more than 1,000 strikes since Assad’s fall.
• The government is preparing October parliamentary selections viewed as a key test of inclusivity, even as the SDF reports 153 Islamic State attacks in the northeast and activists count thousands killed in recent sectarian violence on the coast.