By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, Sept 8 (Reuters) – A U.N. commission investigating Syria said on Tuesday it was deeply alarmed over Israel’s military activity inside Syrian territory, warning that some actions including the detention of civilians could amount to war crimes.
Presenting an update to the U.N. Human Rights Council, Commissioner Fionnuala Ní Aoláin said Israeli military operations in southern Syria had become “increasingly sustained and entrenched”, with recurring ground incursions, patrols, raids and searches affecting civilians.
The Israeli mission in Geneva accused the Commission of conducting an “Israel-bashing session” and said Israel had no territorial aspirations in Syria.
“It [Israel] maintains a temporary buffer zone amounting to 0.1% of Syria to protect its citizens from proven security threats,” it said in a statement.
Syria is seeking to rebuild nearly two years after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli troops entered a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone after the collapse of Assad’s government in December 2024, a move Israel described as temporary and necessary to secure its border during the political transition.
Israel has since carried out hundreds of strikes on Syrian military infrastructure and seized new positions deeper into Syria. The Syrian government and the United Nations have said the deployment violates Syrian sovereignty and a 1974 disengagement agreement that followed the 1973 Middle East war.
Israel says its actions are necessary to protect its security.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said it had documented the establishment of temporary checkpoints and fixed military infrastructure by Israel on Syrian territory, particularly in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa.
“The Commission is deeply alarmed about continued Israeli violations,” Ní Aoláin told the council, saying local residents reported “bewilderment” at Israeli actions while the country undergoes reconstruction.
As of June, the commission had identified 49 Syrians, including two children, detained by the Israeli military on Syrian territory and believed to have been transferred across the border, she said.
“Such acts may amount to war crimes,” Ní Aoláin said.
In a statement released alongside the session, the commission said some detainees were being held incommunicado, raising concerns about potential torture or ill-treatment. It said Israeli military activity had caused displacement among residents and described Israel’s presence in the area as a “belligerent occupation”.
The commission said it agreed with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were unacceptable and must cease.
Syria’s representative welcomed the commission’s findings and reiterated Damascus’ commitment to cooperate with U.N. human rights mechanisms while pursuing accountability for abuses committed under the former government.
The Syrian delegate also condemned Israeli military operations, accusing Israel of violating international law and the 1974 disengagement agreement.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; additional reporting by Maya Gebeily in Beirut; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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