TANZANIA – In a momentous shift after many years, Syria’s leader delivered a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, marking the first instance for a Syrian president to do so in nearly six decades.

Ahmad al-Sharaa declared on Wednesday that Syria is re-engaging with the global community following 60 years of dictatorship responsible for the deaths of 1 million people and the torture of countless others.

“Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world,” he told the assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders.

Al-Sharaa has become the first Syrian leader to address the United Nations since Noureddine Attasi did so in 1967, shortly after the Arab-Israeli conflict, during which Syria lost the Golan Heights, eventually annexed by Israel in 1981.

The autocratic rule of the Assad family, which dominated Syria for 50 years, abruptly ended in December. This shift came when a swift rebel offensive, led by al-Sharaa, deposed then-President Bashar Assad, concluding nearly 14 years of civil war.

In his speech, al-Sharaa criticized Israel for continuing to pose threats to his country since Assad’s fall in December, asserting that Israel’s actions “stand against the international community’s support for Syria and its citizens,” potentially risking regional stability and leading to conflicts with unpredictable outcomes.

Discussions are ongoing over a security arrangement that al-Sharaa anticipates could lead to the Israeli withdrawal and return to a 1974 disengagement agreement. Despite al-Sharaa’s recent optimism about reaching an agreement swiftly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made remarks on Sunday that seemed to diminish the likelihood of a significant breakthrough.

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Mroue reported from Beirut.