The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has warned that Israeli military operations in southern Syria, including the detention of civilians, could amount to war crimes. Commissioner Fionnuala Ní Aolain stated during a briefing to the UN Human Rights Council that these actions violate Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, calling them "unacceptable" and demanding they cease.
As of June, the commission identified 49 Syrians, including two children, detained by the Israeli military on Syrian territory and believed to have been transferred across the border. Ní Aolain emphasized that such acts "may amount to war crimes."
The commission noted that areas in southern Syria, particularly Quneitra and Daraa provinces, have experienced repeated Israeli military incursions, including raids, checkpoint establishments, arrests, and shelling. Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967.
