Syria condemned on Friday U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt declaration that Washington will recognize Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, calling the statement "irresponsible."
A Syrian Foreign Ministry statement said that Trump's comments confirm "the blind bias of the United States to the Zionist entity," referring to Israel.
It added that Trump's statement won't change "the fact that the Golan was and will remain Arab and Syrian."
"The Syrian nation is more determined to liberate this precious piece of Syrian national land through all available means," the statement said.
Trump's announcement the day before was a major shift in American policy.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday that Trump's decision was "unacceptable."
"This illegal and unacceptable recognition does not change the fact that it belongs to Syria," spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Trump's announcement was "completely beyond international law," adding that "The Arab League stands fully behind the Syrian right to its occupied land."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday that Trump's declaration has brought the region to the edge of a new crisis.
In a speech at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Erdoğan said: "It cannot be expected that Turkey and [the OIC] will remain silent or will bow to such a fait accompli on this sensitive matter. We cannot allow the legitimization of the occupation of the Golan Heights and we never will."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter that Turkey "supports Syria's territorial integrity." He said Washington's "attempts to legitimize Israel's illegal acts will only lead to more violence in the region."
