In a historic first, Syria’s new president Ahmed al-Sharaa, once a rebel leader linked to Al Qaeda and still branded a terrorist by the U.S. and U.N., took the world stage at the United Nations General Assembly. Al-Sharaa declared Syria had shifted “from exporter of crisis to opportunity for peace” while warning Israel over continued airstrikes. He urged revival of the 1974 Israel-Syria buffer zone deal, saying Israeli policies risk igniting new regional wars. His speech marked Syria’s first UNGA address in nearly 60 years.