UAE condemns ‘acts of vandalism’ after anti-Israel riot at its embassy in Damascus
Guard kisses and hoists Palestinian flag while detaining man who flew it on building, as protesters against Israel’s new death penalty law try to storm the UAE’s ‘Zionist embassy’
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The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry on Saturday demanded Syria uphold its obligation to secure the Emirati mission in Damascus after pro-Palestinian protesters scaled the embassy walls.
Syria has seen regular anti-UAE demonstrations demanding the release of former Syrian rebel leader Essam al-Buwaydhani, who was arrested in Dubai last April. The protests have turned more markedly anti-Israel after the Knesset last week passed a law mandating the death penalty for West Bank Palestinians convicted of lethal terrorist acts.
In a statement Saturday, the UAE, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020, condemned what it described as “riots, acts of vandalism and assaults” outside its embassy and the residence of its head of mission, and called on Syria to investigate and put perpetrators to account.
A Reuters reporter saw dozens of protesters gathering outside the UAE’s embassy in Damascus at midday on Friday, including some chanting “the Zionist embassy.”
Footage showed protesters waving Syrian and jihadi flags, including those of al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda and forerunner of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, whose leader Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 after a nearly 14-year civil war. Protesters could also be seen scuffling with guards and hurling objects toward the embassy.
Other footage showed uniformed people, identified by Arabic media as Syrian security officers, detaining a protester who had climbed the UAE embassy wall and flown a Palestinian flag. An officer who removed the flag could be seen raising it on high and kissing it before proceeding with the arrest.
سوريون يقتحمون السفارة الإماراتية في دمشق، ويرفعون العلم الفلسطيني فوقها، خلال تظاهرات داعمة لفلسطين وتطالب الدول العربية بالتحرك لنصرة الأسرى وفتح المسجد الأقصى. pic.twitter.com/LIqZt47PBa
— قناة القدس (@livequds) April 4, 2026
A Syrian security official told Reuters that the people who tried to storm the embassy had split off from a larger pro-Palestinian demonstration being held at the nearby Umayyad Square.
“Internal security forces prevented them from doing so and dealt with the situation,” the official said, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Syria’s foreign ministry did not directly refer to the incident but said in a statement on Friday evening that it took a “firm and unwavering stance” against any attack on or attempt to approach embassies and diplomatic missions.
The Times of Israel Community.