On Friday, October 10, 2025, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented a ground incursion by Israeli occupation forces, backed by military vehicles, near the Yarmouk Valley, west of the village of Saida al-Golan in the southern Quneitra Governorate countryside. This incursion resulted in the arbitrary detention of five civilians.
According to information obtained by the Network from its field teams, the Israeli occupation forces detained them while they were in the village of Saida al-Golan and forcibly transferred them to an unknown location. The Network documented their release several hours after their detention, but without any clear legal procedures, which makes their detention arbitrary, prohibited under international human rights law.
We continue to conduct investigations, including reviewing and collecting further evidence and information. Therefore, we hope that anyone with information or details related to this incident will provide them to us via our official email: [email protected]
Legal Conclusions:
- The arrest of the five civilians without a judicial warrant, a clear security necessity, or charges, and without respect for fair trial guarantees, constitutes arbitrary detention under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits deprivation of liberty without legal basis.
- Since the detained civilians are residents of a temporarily occupied territory (due to the Israeli military incursion), their forcible transfer to an unknown location constitutes a violation of Articles 49 and 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibit the forcible transfer and unlawful detention of protected persons.
- According to Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (Article 75), all detained persons must be treated humanely, with respect for their legal rights. This was not respected in this incident, neither in terms of the legal basis for detention, nor in terms of its duration or location.
- The Israeli military incursion and detention operations inside Syrian territory constitute a flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any Member State. It constitutes an act of aggression that violates the rules of international law.
- Detaining civilians from their villages is a repressive measure that impacts economic and social rights and indicates the targeting of civilians based on their local environment or geographical location. This conduct is retaliatory and prohibited.
- Repeated incursions and occupation of military barracks inside Syria, as well as security operations and detentions, are practices that perpetuate an unrecognized occupation and may pave the way for demographic change or the imposition of a de facto military authority, threatening broader grave violations.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights Recommendations:
- Clear international condemnation of the unlawful detention by the Israeli occupation forces, considering it a violation of the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter, requiring legal accountability.
- Calling on the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council to investigate the incident, through mechanisms such as the International Independent Mechanism (IIIM), and document it within the pattern of Israeli violations in southern Syria.
- Demanding that Israel disclose details of the detention operation, provide public legal justifications, and compensate the detained civilians for the violations they suffered, including material and moral harm.
- Deploying international monitoring forces or expanding the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to include monitoring cases of detention and violations against civilians in the Syrian border areas.
- Activating international criminal accountability tools, especially the International Criminal Court (ICC), to consider classifying these practices as war crimes related to unlawful detention in occupied or disputed territories.
- Improving the protection of civilians in conflict zones by establishing local early warning networks and documenting unauthorized foreign troop movements, in cooperation with civil society organizations and local human rights activists.
