Trucks and vans carrying round 60 displaced households arrive of their village after greater than 5 years within the Atmeh camps close to in South Syria. File
| Photo Credit: AP
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Israeli forces on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) of forcibly displacing residents of southern Syria, which Israel has demanded be demilitarised in a brand new safety deal Syria is in search of with its neighbour.
The assertion quoted the Israeli navy as saying it’s working in southern Syria “to protect the citizens of the State of Israel” and that its actions are “in accordance with international law”.
The report got here as Syrian state media stated Israeli forces seized a number of folks within the south, and a day after Damascus stated it was working with Washington to achieve mutual “security understandings” with Israel.
“Israeli forces occupying parts of southern Syria since December 2024 have carried out a range of abuses against residents, including forced displacement, which is a war crime,” the HRW stated in an announcement.
As Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar Assad on December 8, Israel deployed troops to a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights that has separated the international locations’ forces since an armistice that adopted the 1973 Arab-Israeli battle.
Israel has additionally launched tons of of air strikes on targets in Syria and carried out incursions deeper into the south regardless of opening talks with the interim authorities.
HRW stated that “Israeli forces have seized and demolished homes, blocked residents from their property and livelihoods, and arbitrarily detained residents and transferred them to Israel”.
The New York-based watchdog stated it interviewed residents, reviewed pictures and analysed satellite tv for pc imagery to corroborate accounts.
Early Wednesday (September 17, 2025), Syrian state tv stated Israeli forces seized 4 males from villages in and close to the buffer zone within the southern province of Quneitra “during a raid and search operation… that targeted a number of homes”.
Earlier this month, state media stated Israeli forces seized seven folks in the identical space, with the Israeli military saying it apprehended people “suspected of terrorist activity” and took them to Israel for additional questioning.
On Tuesday (September 16, 2025), Syria introduced a U.S.- and Jordan-backed roadmap for restoring stability within the south after lethal sectarian violence within the Druze minority heartland of Sweida prompted Israeli navy intervention in July.
A Syrian navy official instructed AFP that heavy weapons had been withdrawn from the south in a course of that started after the Sweida violence.
Published – September 17, 2025 11:04 pm IST