Overview

• In a report released September 17, Human Rights Watch says Israeli forces occupying parts of southern Syria since December 2024 carried out forced displacement it classifies as a war crime.
• Researchers documented the June 16 demolition of at least 12 buildings in al-Hamidiya that displaced eight families from the UN-monitored zone along the line of separation with the Golan Heights.
• Satellite imagery and interviews indicate construction of Israeli military installations near al-Hamidiya and Jubata al-Khashab beginning in early January 2025, with UPI reporting nine posts across Quneitra and western Daraa and extensive land clearance including a century-old forest.
• Witnesses and relatives told HRW that at least eight Syrians detained since December 2024 were transferred to Israel and remain held incommunicado without charge, including a 17-year-old sent to Ofer prison under administrative detention.
• The Israeli military says its activities comply with international law and aim to protect Israeli citizens, describing some detainees as Hamas operatives, while Syria’s Interior Ministry told Reuters the arrested men were local civilians; HRW urges suspending military support, imposing targeted sanctions, and backing ICC proceedings.