Sijil Centre says Israeli army arrested over 200 in southern Syria since Assad's fall

Centre · 1The Israeli army has arrested more than 200 people in southern Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024, according to the Sijil Centre, an organisation that tracks Israeli activity in Syria. 1 Centre · 1The Israeli military says it is targeting "suspected terrorists", while witnesses denounce the arrests as arbitrary and former detainees and their relatives have raised serious concerns about conditions in detention. 1 Left · 1Al Jazeera reports that it has ascertained at least 51 Syrians are still detained in Israel, some moved from Sde Teiman military prison to Israel Prison Service facilities including Ofer, al-Jalama (Kishon) and Megiddo; a small number have been released. 2

Left · 1Former detainees interviewed by Al Jazeera described being arrested at checkpoints or in night raids, held in handcuffs, beaten, attacked by dogs and exposed to loud music in a so-called "disco room". One man, Mahmoud, said he was never charged or given a lawyer; another, Ahmed, said he was held for more than a year and not questioned until nearly five months in. These accounts are the detainees' own and are not independently verified in the coverage. 2 Left · 1Al Jazeera said it had contacted the Israeli military for comment and not yet received a response. Israel says its occupation of Syrian land and incursions are necessary for security and to defend Syria's Druze community, a claim the Syrian government rejects. 2 Left · 1The Sijil Centre documented 280 Israeli violations of the 1974 agreement in September, including incursions, raids, arrests and artillery and machine-gun fire. The UN observer force UNDOF told Al Jazeera that Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints are preventing its planned patrols. 2

Left · 1The Syrian government, which Al Jazeera says cannot confront Israel militarily, has sought a security agreement, but talks have largely stalled since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran. Families of the detained say they feel abandoned, and residents have begun to protest. 2