On April 5, 2025, an artillery detachment stationed in areas controlled by Israeli occupation forces fired a shell at al-Baath ‘al-Salam’ city in rural Quneitra governorate. While no casualties were recorded, the attack caused material damage to property.
According to the information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), the shell landed in the vicinity of the technical services building, which is adjacent to the governorate building in the city, during a meeting between several dignitaries from Quneitra governorate and the governor inside the governorate building. Sources also confirmed that the attack caused partial damage to one of the commercial shops at the site where the shell landed.
This attack comes as part of a systematic policy by the Israeli occupation aimed at terrorizing the local population and imposing a new security reality, which is in direct violation of the principles of international law. This assault constitutes a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic and a breach of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any member state. It also violates Article 51 of the UN Charter, which permits the use of force solely in cases of self-defense, a condition not applicable in this attack.
SNHR must stress affirms that the justifications presented by Israeli occupation forces to carry out attacks on Syrian territory are no longer valid, especially following the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, and the return of the Syrian army under the leadership of the transitional government.
Israel’s continued use of military force to intimidate civilians and destabilize southern Syria constitutes a flagrant violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the Disengagement Agreement signed between Syria and Israel in 1974, which obligates all parties to protect civilians and ensure their safety.
Accordingly, SNHR calls on the international community to take immediate action to put an end to these repeated violations, ensure respect for Syria’s sovereignty, and hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its unlawful practices that threaten security and stability in the region.
