Detentions in the southern Syrian Arab Republic remain at the core of concerns about Israeli operations. Stories of former detainees, taken from the press on 3 November, describe violence and deprivation. It appears that new military movements are reported around the Al-Mantara dam in Quneitra province. The testimonies relate to individual experiences. They request investigations and do not constitute, alone, a judicial finding of all places of detention.
Detentions in the South: What Witnesses Describe
Two men presented under the pseudonyms of Hajji and Halim recount degrading conditions after their arrest by Israeli forces. The first refers to meals ill-treated by guards, hygiene restrictions and the ban on extending during the day. The second describes humiliating beatings and searches.
Their stories were first collected by an Arab daily, then translated by a media specialist in Syria. The latter expressly states that he did not verify the content of the report. Libnanews could not independently confirm each reported scene.
This reservation does not exempt the consideration of charges. It requires that they retain their attribution, without turning the two experiences described into evidence on all detainees. The specific dates of each episode, the institutions involved and individual responsibilities remain to be documented.
A case already raised by OHCHR
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had alerted this matter on 9 October. His spokesman, Shabia Mantoo, referred to reports of prolonged detention, sometimes exceeding one year. Some persons reportedly did not receive an explanation of the reasons for their arrest.
The organization also mentioned allegations of beatings, standing stations imposed for long periods of time and threats. This information came from former detainees and other sources. They do not constitute confirmation of every detail of the testimonies published in November.
As at that date, OHCHR reported that 49 Syrians remained in Israeli detention. He stated that he had not independently verified an exhaustive and up-to-date total. This number cannot therefore be presented as a count as at 6 November.
The United Nations calls for a legal basis in accordance with international law for any detention and respect for the guarantees of persons arrested. It also called for an end to acts intimidating the inhabitants, including raids and travel restrictions.
Al-Mantara, a new episode reported in Quneitra
At the same time, the military component is undergoing new developments. On 3 November, a regional media reported the advance of several Israeli vehicles towards the Al-Mantara Dam. He mentioned a presence of drones and quoted the observations of a post-conflict organisation.
On 5 November, a news agency relayed news from Syrian television about artillery fire. According to the report, three shells had been fired at the vicinity of the dam the day before. Two others fell on 5 November on agricultural land near Beit Jinn, south-west of Damascus.
This information does not provide a confirmed record of victims or damage. Nor can they claim that the dam itself suffered damage. The incursions, shooting and detentions are separate events: there is no direct link between the witnesses and the 3 November movements.
A safe justification, no specific response found
Israel presents its presence and operations in southern Syria as security measures. In statements previously reported by the Israeli press, his army invoked the prevention of attacks on its territory. Damascus denounces these operations as violations of its sovereignty.
No specific Israeli response to the two testimonies taken on 3 November or to the episodes of Al-Mantara described here was found in the elements consulted. This absence does not make it possible to presume the response of the authorities concerned.
An international report of 17 October also indicated that it was awaiting a response from the Israeli army on the alleged violence in detention.
The separation of forces framework established in 1974 remains at the centre of the territorial dispute. For detainees, the points to be clarified remain individual and concrete: place of detention, legal grounds, access to a lawyer, family contacts and the possibility of challenging deprivation of liberty.
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