Guterres met interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa shortly after arriving in the Syrian capital and said the country was at a “pivotal moment” as it seeks to rebuild after more than a decade of conflict.

The visit comes as Syria struggles with widespread destruction, deep poverty and worsened international aid following the civil war that ended when rebels removed President Bashar al-Assad from power in 2024.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians were killed and millions displaced during the conflict. Al-Sharaa, who led the rebels, was appointed interim president in January 2025 to oversee state reconstruction and the dissolution of separate armed factions.

The scale of the rebuilding challenge is enormous. 

The World Bank estimated last year that reconstructing Syria after more than a decade of civil war could cost about $216 billion.

Although the United States and European countries have lifted many sanctions imposed during the Assad dynasty's rule, the impact on ordinary Syrians has so far been limited.

Cuts to international aid have further worsened living conditions, with the United Nations estimating that 90 percent of Syria's population lives in poverty.

Guterres is also scheduled to visit the UN force deployed along Syria's border with Israel, highlighting the security challenges facing the country's fragile transition.

Al-Sharaa has said he does not want a conflict with Israel. But Israel has remained suspicious of Syria's new Islamist-led leadership and moved quickly after the change of power to take control of the buffer zone.

Israel has also carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military facilities and periodic incursions into villages outside the buffer zone. Some of those operations have triggered violent confrontations with local residents.