Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, stated that Israel no longer has an excuse to remain in the buffer zone between the two countries after Damascus rid itself of Iran's presence. He expressed willingness to accept United Nations peacekeepers under the 1974 Israel-Syria disengagement agreement. Al-Sharaa's comments came during a joint press conference with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who also condemned Israel's seizure of the buffer zone. Qatar pledged support to Syria's rehabilitation effort and called for Israel's immediate withdrawal from the buffer zone.