Israeli forces kidnapped five civilians, including two minors, during two incursions into Syria’s Quneitra province early on Sunday, according to a Syrian monitoring group, as Israel’s military operations in southern Syria continue over a year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The Sijil Centre, which documents Israeli violations in Syria, said Israeli troops entered areas in the northern and southern countryside of Quneitra and detained five civilians.
Four of those detained were from the village of Jbata al-Khashab in northern Quneitra, while the fifth was from the village of Sayda al-Hanout in the province’s south.
The reported detentions come amid ongoing Israeli military activity in Quneitra and neighbouring areas of Daraa province, where residents and local monitors say troops have repeatedly entered Syrian territory, established temporary checkpoints, carried out searches and detained civilians.
According to the monitoring centre, Israeli forces have also restricted access to farmland near the boundary with the occupied Golan Heights and imposed limitations affecting agriculture, grazing land and access to natural resources.
Syrian journalist Samer Al-Miqdad told The New Arab that the repeated incursions and detentions were intended to intimidate local residents and restrict their movement.
“The repeated incursions by Israeli forces, during which civilians are abducted, are intended to increase fear among residents, restrict their movement and prevent them from reaching agricultural land,” Al-Miqdad said.
He added that some detentions were also carried out to gather information from local civilians.
The latest operation follows months of growing Israeli military activity inside southern Syria. According to a report by Amnesty International, Israeli forces entered the UN-designated demilitarised zone in Quneitra and carried out demolitions of civilian homes.
The rights group said that “families have been displaced and their homes demolished without being provided with alternative shelter, compensation, or any timetable for their return”.
Amnesty International concluded that “the destruction of and damage to civilian facilities in southern Syria occurred without absolute military necessity, in violation of international humanitarian law, and amounts to grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention”.
Israel significantly and illegally expanded its military presence in southern Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024.
According to a study by the Jusoor Centre, the Israeli military’s subsequent operation, known as “Arrow of Bashan”, involved around 250 air strikes and destroyed roughly 80 percent of Syria’s strategic military infrastructure.
The operation also saw Israeli forces move beyond the 1974 disengagement line, taking control of a number of positions in Quneitra province and on Mount Hermon, including the mountain’s summit observation post overlooking large areas of Syria, Lebanon and occupied Palestine.
