A recent Israeli attack on a Syrian air base is one of numerous incidents of Israeli incursions into Syria. Local residents in southern Syria have reported that Israeli soldiers have detained them, destroyed vital infrastructure, and established military bases on their territory. This escalating military presence poses profound concerns for Syria's sovereignty and regional stability.
Ahmad Hassan Al-Din, a resident of Jubata Al-Khashab village in Syria's Quneitra province, spoke with deep sorrow in his voice as he recounted his son's story. He stated that two years, four months, twenty-four days, and five hours have passed since he last saw his son, Saddam. In April 2024, Israeli soldiers took Saddam, who was just seventeen at the time, from their agricultural land near the Golan Heights, a territory Israel has occupied since 1967.
Al-Din told Deutsche Welle, "In the morning, Saddam went to feed the animals. I called him on the phone, and he said, 'Everything is fine.' But a little later, we saw with our own eyes that they were taking the boy away, handcuffed and shackled." Al-Din had recorded a video of his son being taken by Israeli soldiers in the field. This video has previously been verified by France24's open-source investigators and human rights organizations. Al-Din further added, "They said he had illegally entered the territory of the State of Israel, even though that area is our agricultural land, and we have valid UN permission to work there." Syrian farmers and herders required a special pass from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to enter this buffer zone, which was established after the 1974 Disengagement Agreement to maintain distance between Israeli and Syrian forces.
Humanitarian organizations later learned that Saddam, now 19, is likely imprisoned in Israel. Deutsche Welle inquired with the Israeli military about the charges against Saddam and the legal framework under which he was detained. A spokesperson sent Deutsche Welle a statement, similar to those previously sent to other media outlets and human rights organizations. The statement said that Israel detains Syrians suspected of intending to harm Israel. However, it did not specify whether the military considered the farmer's son to be such an individual. Since Saddam's abduction, the story of this Syrian teenager has become one of many similar incidents in this region of southern Syria.
Following the fall of the country's authoritarian Assad regime in December 2024, Israel took control of the UN-controlled demilitarized zone. Senior Israeli politicians declared the 1974 agreement null and void, stating that troops would remain in the area temporarily to protect Israel from cross-border attacks. However, since then, Israel's presence in Syria has taken on a more permanent character.
In November 2025, UNDOF informed journalists that Israel had established ten bases in the area. From these bases, Israeli soldiers are infiltrating Syria's Daraa and Quneitra provinces almost daily. The Syrian consulting firm, Karam Sha'ar Advisory, wrote in January, "These incursions typically involve armored patrols through populated areas, followed by the establishment of temporary checkpoints on main roads, where all passing Syrian civilians are stopped, searched, interrogated, and their phones are examined. In some cases, biometric data is also collected."
Israeli soldiers have also raided homes, businesses, and schools, and have encircled agricultural land and water sources. Quneitra authorities sent a statement to Deutsche Welle claiming that Israeli soldiers confiscated over 200 sheep and destroyed a drinking water well, further exacerbating the living conditions of the local population. Such activities have generated widespread anger among locals and increased fears of a long-term conflict.
