Manama, Bahrain – In a resounding display of regional solidarity, leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) convened for the 46th Summit of the Supreme Council on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at the Sakhir Palace in Manama, Bahrain. Hosted under the chairmanship of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, the gathering marked a pivotal moment in Gulf diplomacy, with the final communique delivering a stern denunciation of Israel's escalating military incursions into Syrian territory. The statement, issued at the summit's conclusion, underscored the bloc's unwavering commitment to Syria's sovereignty amid a year of heightened tensions following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024.
The communique explicitly condemned “the repeated Israeli attacks and violations against the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic and its blatant assaults on its sovereignty and stability, which undermine its security, unity, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens.” This language reflects growing frustration across the Arab world with Israel's post-Assad maneuvers, which have included the seizure of the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights and a barrage of airstrikes targeting Syrian military assets. The GCC leaders reaffirmed that the Golan Heights remains an integral part of Syrian territory, labeling Israel's expansion into the area and occupation of the UN-monitored buffer zone as “a grave violation” of the UN Charter, international law principles, and relevant Security Council resolutions.
The summit's timing could not have been more poignant. Since the rapid collapse of the Assad government on December 8, 2024, Israel has intensified its operations in Syria, citing the need to neutralize threats from extremist groups potentially accessing residual stockpiles of weapons. Syrian government data, corroborated by independent monitors, indicates that Israel has conducted over 1,000 airstrikes on Syrian soil since December 2024, alongside more than 400 cross-border raids into southern provinces such as Daraa and Quneitra. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, has documented more than 450 strikes by mid-2025 alone, many targeting air defenses, naval assets, and ammunition depots in cities like Damascus, Hama, and Latakia. These actions, which Israel describes as defensive measures to secure its borders, have drawn widespread international criticism, including from the United Nations, where officials have warned that they “threaten Syria’s fragile political transition.”
In response, the GCC called upon the UN Security Council and the broader international community to fulfill their “legal and moral responsibilities” by halting these assaults and compelling Israel's full withdrawal from all occupied Syrian lands. This appeal echoes earlier UN General Assembly resolutions demanding Israeli withdrawal from the Golan, occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War. The bloc's position aligns with a broader Arab consensus, as evidenced by the September 2025 emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, which similarly decried Israeli actions in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.
Beyond the Syrian front, the Manama Summit addressed glimmers of hope in Syria's internal stabilization efforts, which the communique warmly endorsed. It welcomed the Syrian government's announcement of a roadmap to resolve the protracted crisis in Suwayda province, a Druze-majority region in southern Syria plagued by sectarian clashes and governance vacuums. Since a weeklong bout of violence between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes erupted on July 12, 2025—leaving hundreds dead and displacing thousands—a fragile ceasefire has held since July 19. The roadmap, forged through trilateral talks involving Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, and U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack on September 16, 2025, outlines steps for reconciliation, including the withdrawal of irregular fighters, deployment of state police along key roads, and UN-monitored investigations into atrocities. It also commits to restoring basic services with Jordanian and American aid, while facilitating detainee releases via the Red Cross. The EU has praised the initiative as an “encouraging first step,” though local rejection from Suwayda's Higher Legal Committee highlights persistent trust deficits. The GCC's endorsement signals potential Gulf financial support for implementation, underscoring the bloc's stake in southern Syria's stability to curb spillover risks like arms smuggling into Jordan.
Equally significant was the summit's acclaim for the March 10, 2025, agreement integrating the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into state institutions—a landmark accord hailed as a bulwark against national fragmentation. Signed in Damascus by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, the deal stipulates the merger of SDF military units into the Syrian army, alongside the transfer of control over oil-rich northeastern territories, border crossings, and infrastructure like the Tishreen Dam. This U.S.-facilitated pact reaffirms Syria's territorial unity, rejecting separatist bids and paving the way for joint anti-ISIS operations. Despite implementation hurdles—such as sporadic clashes in Deir ez-Zor and debates over federalism—the agreement has fostered gradual reintegration, including in Aleppo's Kurdish neighborhoods. The GCC praised it as “contributing to completing the process of state-building and achieving national unity and coexistence,” reflecting optimism that a unified Syria could mitigate refugee flows and extremism threats to Gulf security.
Shifting focus inward, the leaders reaffirmed their bedrock commitment to GCC unity as the cornerstone of regional resilience. The communique described the bloc's cohesion as “essential to achieving stability, security, progress, and prosperity,” pledging deeper coordination in political, security, economic, and social spheres to realize “desired unity” and shared interests. Satisfaction was expressed over “significant achievements in joint Gulf action,” including advances in defense pacts, diplomatic alignment, and sustainable development initiatives like clean energy projects and sovereign wealth fund investments in tech. The statement reiterated respect for member states' sovereignty, rejecting force or interference, and emphasized that “any infringement on the sovereignty of a member state constitutes a direct threat to the collective security of the council.” This principle, invoked amid lingering Iran-Israel frictions—exacerbated by a September 2025 Israeli strike on Qatar—highlights the GCC's indivisible security doctrine.
The summit boasted high-level attendance, symbolizing renewed vigor in Gulf ties. Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa presided, flanked by Kuwait's Emir Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, UAE Vice President Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Notably, Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq made his first in-person appearance at a GCC summit since 2020, marking Muscat's highest-level participation in 14 years and a departure from its recent pattern of ministerial delegations. Sultan Haitham's presence, received with honors by Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, underscored Oman's renewed engagement under his leadership, including sidelines meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the concurrent GCC-Italy Summit. Preparatory ministerial sessions, attended by Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, had finalized the agenda, focusing on economic integration amid 2024's 7.4% trade growth to $1.6 trillion.
Founded on May 25, 1981, and headquartered in Riyadh, the GCC—comprising Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman—has evolved from a security alliance into a powerhouse driving 3.2% of global trade. The 46th Summit, the eighth hosted by Bahrain, arrives amid projections of 2.8% GDP growth in 2025, fueled by non-oil diversification. Yet, challenges persist: Yemen's civil war, Sudan's instability, and the Israel-Hamas ceasefire's fragility demand unified responses. King Hamad, in opening remarks, stressed that “Gulf security and prosperity are indivisible,” urging integration to counter these threats.
As the leaders departed Sakhir Palace, the Manama communique stood as a clarion call for justice in Syria and fortitude within the Gulf. With Oman's full embrace and endorsements of Syrian progress, the GCC emerges stronger, poised to navigate 2026's uncertainties. For Syria, the path forward hinges on international enforcement of resolutions and domestic healing; for the Gulf, on translating rhetoric into resilient action. In an era of flux, this summit reaffirms that unity is not merely aspirational—it's imperative.
