US ambassador to Turkey breaks with Washington on Israel's occupation of Syria's Golan Heights

US ambassador to Turkey breaks with Washington on Israel's occupation of Syria's Golan Heights US ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack has said Israel’s occupation of Syria’s Golan Heights continues even though it ran against UN resolutions and international law. Barrack’s remarks put him at odds with his own government, as US President Donald Trump recognised Israeli sovereignty over the territory in 2019. Golan Heights, a strategic plateau straddling Israel and Syria and overlooking southern Lebanon, was captured by Israel during the Middle East war of 1967 and subsequently annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.