Syria’s new leader warned Wednesday that Israel’s persistent attacks put the region at risk, but he backed diplomacy as he won support on his UN debut.

Ahmed al-Sharaa is the first Syrian president to address the annual UN General Assembly in decades, marking a rapid transformation for a former jihadist who until last year had a US bounty on his head.

Sharaa, one of the most closely watched leaders at the UN’s annual week of diplomacy, said that Syria had turned a page after a half-century of rule by the Assad family.

“Syria has transformed from an exporter of crisis to an opportunity for peace,” Sharaa said in an address at the General Assembly.

But he warned that Israel, which has repeatedly attacked its historic rival since the fall of Assad, was damaging the new Syria’s prospects.

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