UN: “Israel” Detained 49 Syrians Amid 280 Armed Incursions in Southern Syria

By Staff, Agencies

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has reported that “Israel” is detaining 49 Syrian nationals and carried out 280 armed incursions into several areas of southern Syria during September.

A statement from Türk’s office said recently released detainees reported being subjected to torture and ill-treatment, including beatings, prolonged forced standing and threats against their family members.

Türk called on “Israeli” authorities to end these practices and cease actions targeting civilians.

According to the statement, September recorded the highest number of armed “Israeli” incursions in a single month since the beginning of the year, based on open-source monitoring data.

The reported incursions included raids on residential homes, restrictions on freedom of movement, harassment and intimidation of civilians, arbitrary detentions and the destruction of livelihoods.

The UN human rights office urged “Israeli” officials to “cease actions that harass or intimidate civilians in Syrian villages, including raids, restrictions on freedom of movement, detention and destruction of crops.”

Areas surrounding the “Israeli”-occupied Syrian Golan Heights have witnessed a growing number of military incursions this year.

“Israeli” forces crossed into southern Syria and areas west of Damascus shortly after foreign-backed Takfiri militants, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [HTS], toppled the government of former President Bashar Al-Assad in December 2024. The forces subsequently occupied parts of those territories.

The continuing military operations in southern Syria have persisted despite high-level diplomatic discussions held in Jordan in August. The talks brought together Asaad al-Shaibani, the chief diplomatic representative of Syria’s ruling HTS authorities, and Roman Gofman, director of the “Israeli” Mossad intelligence agency.

According to two sources familiar with the discussions who spoke to AFP, the talks addressed several issues, including a proposal to establish a US-administered “special operations center” in Jordan to prevent potential military confrontations in Syria, particularly those involving Turkey.

On August 18, “Israeli” military aircraft carried out eight airstrikes against the runway of Abu Al-Duhur Military Airbase in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, causing substantial damage to the facility’s infrastructure while a Turkish military delegation was present at the site.

Since the fall of the Assad government, the “Israeli” military has conducted repeated airstrikes against military bases, installations and ammunition depots previously controlled by the Syrian armed forces.

“Israel” has faced widespread criticism over its termination of the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria and its exploitation of the country’s instability to expand its territorial control.

The bulk of “Israeli” military attacks have targeted the southern Syrian provinces of Quneitra and Daraa, as well as areas around Damascus, with these regions accounting for approximately 80 percent of all verified “Israeli” strikes.