Syrian Intelligence Chief Hussein Al-Salama Tells UN New York Syria Shifts From Crisis Management

For the first time, the head of Syrian intelligence is taking part in a counter-terrorism conference at the UN in New York this week, with Hussein Al-Salama addressing the Fourth UN High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States at UN headquarters during Counter-Terrorism Week.

“The head of Syrian intelligence, حسين سلامة, said that his country is witnessing a qualitative shift, moving from crisis management to sustainable decision-making, during a speech he delivered at a United Nations conference on counter-terrorism in New York”

Al-Jazeera Net

Al-Salama told the conference that Damascus had shifted from “managing crises” to “building sustainable stability” since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, and he said Syria had “regained its sovereignty and its independent decision making.”

Al-Jazeera Net

He said the “criminal practices of the former regime” had turned Syria into “a fertile environment for extremism and terrorism,” while he added that Syrians were now returning home to “a safe haven” rather than fleeing abroad.

Al-Salama also laid out priorities including safeguarding national security, contributing to regional stability, engaging in international counterterrorism efforts, and cutting off sources of extremist financing.

The Al-Jazeera Net account of his remarks framed the shift as “Syria's new future and its story that differs completely from its past,” tying it to rebuilding national institutions and relations after “liberation.”

Al-Salama warned that “the ongoing Israeli threat to its stability” continues through incursions, shelling and the arrest of civilians, and he described it as a threat to Syria’s stability during his speech.

Arab News reported that on Sunday there was renewed Israeli shelling and a ground incursion into the village of Abidin in Daraa province’s Yarmouk Basin, where Syrian state media said Israeli forces set up checkpoints, searched residents and fired warning shots.

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In the Al-Jazeera Net account, Salama pointed to southern Syria as a “threat from Israel to Syria and to its stability through incursions, shelling, and arrests of civilians,” calling what happened in the western countryside of Daraa two days ago “a clear proof of that.”

He also said Syria still faces threats from Daesh remnants, cells linked to the former Assad regime and groups affiliated with Hezbollah, and he pledged to continue efforts to combat terrorism “in accordance with its national priorities and in conformity with international law.”

The Arab News report placed the remarks ahead of the General Assembly’s ninth review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy on July 1 and 2, and it said Al-Salama called for international support to rebuild Syria’s institutions rather than “short-term relief projects that leave no lasting impact.”

An editorial in صحيفة الوطن السورية described the participation of Hussein al-Salamah in the Fourth High-Level Conference at UN headquarters as a milestone with “political and institutional significance,” and it said the event signals an expansion of interaction between Syria and the international system on counterterrorism.

“For the first time ever, the head of Syrian intelligence is taking part at a counter-terrorism conference at the UN in New York this week”

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The editorial also pointed to an event hosted by the Permanent Syrian Mission to the United Nations, in cooperation with the UN Counter-Terrorism Office and the European Union, which discussed Syria’s new approach to countering ISIS with UN officials, European officials, and representatives of member states in attendance.

It further said the Interior Ministry delegation’s participation in a technical seminar hosted by the Police Academy in Madrid confirmed that Syrian openness extends to professional and technical cooperation on security matters, including “tracing digital currencies, financial investigations, analysis of digital evidence.”

Al-Jazeera Net added that Salama said the approach “adopts a comprehensive humanitarian approach that places justice at the forefront of its priorities,” while warning of “the challenges and threats that go beyond the terrorism of ISIS to reach cells belonging to remnants of the Assad regime and others linked to Hezbollah militias.”

The Al-Jazeera Net account also tied the UN appearance to earlier regional engagement, saying Salama participated alongside Syrian Foreign Minister أسعد الشيباني in February 8 in Riyadh at the ministerial meeting of the international coalition against the Islamic State, after Damascus joined as the 90th member in November 2025.