Thousands of Syrians gathered Tuesday in different cities to protest President Donald Trump’s formal recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, a move that was widely criticized across the Arab and Muslim world, including by U.S. allies, AP reports.
Trump formally signed the proclamation alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, reversing more than a half-century of U.S. policy in the Middle East.
The U.S. is the first country to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the international community regards as occupied territory.
Syria slammed the U.S. step as "blatant aggression." The Foreign Ministry said Trump’s move represented the "highest level of contempt for international legitimacy" and showed that Washington was "the main enemy" of Arabs.