U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on Israel to withdraw its forces from the expanded buffer zone along the Golan Heights between Syria and Israel, saying only international peacekeeping troops should be based in the “Area of Separation” following the swift collapse of the Bashar Assad regime in Damascus earlier this month.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that there was a "flame of hope" in Syria following the fall of president Bashar al-Assad's regime but warned of significant challenges ahead.

They are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Guterres said of IDF strikes, despite Israel moving in only after UNDOF came under attack by gunmen in the demilitarized zone