On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the arbitrary detention of six civilians by Israeli occupation forces during a ground incursion into the western Daraa countryside.
According to the Network’s documentation, an Israeli occupation army force, consisting of more than 20 military vehicles, entered the village of Al-Masritiyah in the western Daraa countryside. They deployed throughout the village, searched several homes, and established two military checkpoints before detaining two civilians from a house where they were visiting relatives. The two civilians were taken to an unknown location.
According to documented information, the same force continued its movement after withdrawing from the village of Al-Masritiya, heading towards the Wadi Al-Raqad area near the village of Jamla in the same rural area. There, they stopped a civilian vehicle carrying four civilians who were on a picnic. The force searched the passengers, removed them from the vehicle, and then took them and their car into the occupied Syrian Golan.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights has recorded the release of one of those detained in Al-Masritiya, while the others remain in detention as of the date of this statement.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights confirms that both incidents occurred without any clear legal procedures, which makes the detention of the six civilians fall under the category of arbitrary detention, prohibited under international human rights law.
We are continuing our investigations, including reviewing and gathering further evidence and information. Therefore, we urge anyone with information or details related to this incident to provide them to us via our official email address. [email protected]
Legal Conclusions:
- The arrest of civilians without a 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.
- As the detained civilians are residents of a territory temporarily occupied (due to the Israeli military incursion), their forcible transfer to a military facility belonging to the occupying power 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 case, neither in terms of the legal basis for the 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, and are considered acts of aggression that contravene the rules of international law.
- The detention of civilians in their villages is a repressive measure that infringes upon their economic and social rights and indicates the targeting of civilians based on their local environment or geographic location. This is a prohibited act of reprisal.
- The repeated incursions and occupation of military barracks inside Syria, along with the execution of security operations and detentions, are practices that entrench an unrecognized occupation reality and may pave the way for demographic change or the imposition of a de facto military authority, threatening wider and more serious violations.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights strongly condemns the Israeli ground incursion, raids, and arbitrary detention of civilians. It affirms that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this context, the Syrian Network for Human Rights recommends the following:
- A clear international condemnation of the unlawful detention by the Israeli occupation forces, recognizing it as a violation of the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter, warranting legal accountability.
- A call for the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council to investigate the incident through mechanisms such as the International Independent Mechanism (IIIM), and to 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 psychological damages.
- 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 Syrian border areas.
- Activating international criminal accountability mechanisms, particularly 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 movements of foreign forces, in cooperation with local civil society organizations and human rights activists.
