UN commission says Israeli attacks on southern Syria ‘must stop’

Areas of southern Syria, particularly Quneitra and Daraa provinces, have witnessed repeated Israeli militaryincursions, including raids on homes, the establishment of checkpoints and arrests, as well as shelling. Read:IAEA finds tonnes of nuclear material in Syria.

Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967. Following the fall of the. Bashar al-Assadregime on December 8, 2024, Israel declared the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement collapsed and occupied the demilitarised buffer zone and other positions, including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh).

On developments inside Syria, the commission said it was witnessing an acceleration in reconstruction and progress in efforts to build accountability institutions. It stressed that “accountability is an essential element for the success of the transitional justice process in Syria.”Read More:Syria mulls joining Makkah pact.

The commission also welcomed the renewal of its mandate and thanked the Syrian government for enabling it to carry out its work. The UN Human Rights Council established the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria in August 2011 to investigate alleged violations of international human rights law since March that year and identify those responsible where possible.

For years, the commission conducted its investigations from outside Syria because it lacked access to the country, relying on interviews with victims and witnesses as well as documents, photographs, videos and satellite imagery.