A Statement on Israel’s Continued Attacks on Syria

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) condemns Israel’s aggression against Syria, particularly the Israeli airstrike on the town of Koya, west of Daraa, on March 24, 2025. This attack resulted in the killing of six civilians, including women and children, and the injury of several others, with the death toll expected to rise. The subsequent Israeli ground incursion, accompanied by tank shelling, led to waves of displacement among the local population.

The airstrikes on Daraa are part of a series of aggressive actions launched by Israel, coinciding with the fall of the Assad regime.Israel quickly took advantage of the situation to extend its control into southern Syria, declaring the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Damascus and Tel Aviv null and void due to political changes in Syria. To impose new realities on the ground, Israeli forces have occupied the 235 km²-Disengagement Zone since the 8th and 9th of December 2024, including the highest peak of Mount Hermon and 11 villages, home to approximately 70,000 Syrians.

During its incursion into Syrian territory, the occupation forces bulldozed land and dug a trench that isolated Syrian villages from the surrounding agricultural lands, threatening the livelihood of the people working in agriculture and forcing them to silent displacement. Additionally, Israeli forces have committed violations against civilians, including the use of rubber bullets to suppress peaceful protests on 20th February 2025, as well as arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and attacks on journalists and medical teams. Since the beginning of 2025, SCM has documented five enforced disappearances, two arbitrary detentions, and repeated short-term detentions and releases of civilians.

As of the release of this statement, SCM’s Violations Documentation Project (VDCP) has documented 34 Israeli attacks on Syrian territory since the beginning of the year, which have destroyed major military infrastructure, weapons storage facilities, strategic missile sites, and military research and manufacturing centers. These attacks have also targeted civilians, with 11 civilians killed in March alone, though this number remains preliminary.

These attacks are part of a deliberate strategy aimed at destabilizing Syria and obstructing its political transition. Statements by Israeli officials confirm their intent to exploit sectarian tensions within Syria—a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty, international law, and the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force to threaten regional security or the political independence of any state. Furthermore, these actions violate UN Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and 497 (1981), as well as UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974).

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression strongly condemns Israel’s aggression against Syria, its continued occupation of Syrian lands, and its actions that exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the country. These violations contribute to internal displacement and rising levels of violence in Syria.

Furthermore, we emphasize that this escalation requires a firm response from the international community. The continued silence on Israel’s blatant disregard for international law, including binding UN Security Council resolutions, perpetuates a culture of impunity and threatens to expand the cycle of violence across the region.

Accordingly, we call for the following actions:

To the Israeli Occupation Authorities:

Immediately halt all ongoing aggression against Syrian territory and withdraw from the areas occupied since the 8th of December, 2024 as a first step toward a full withdrawal from all occupied Syrian territories to the 1967 borders.
Comply with obligations under international law and international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians in occupied areas and the guarantee of their fundamental rights, such as freedom of peaceful assembly and protest.
Immediately and completely cease the practices of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance against Syrians in areas under Israeli control and ensure the immediate release of detainees and disappeared individuals.

To the United Nations and the International Community:

We urge the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session to address these attacks and adopt a resolution compelling Israel to immediately cease its hostilities, withdraw unconditionally from the recently occupied areas, and fully comply with the Disengagement Agreement.
We call on the UN Security Council to enforce its existing resolutions, particularly Resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and 497 (1981), with the aim of ending Israel’s occupation and ensuring Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and security.
We urge the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to include Israel’s violations of the Disengagement Agreement in its periodic reports to the Security Council and to exercise its mandate under Resolution 350 (1974) by informing the UN Secretary-General of developments in the area and monitoring military presence on both sides to prevent further incursions.
Immediately lift sectoral sanctions on Syria to support economic recovery and enable the current administration to address the worsening humanitarian crisis caused by Israeli aggression.

We call on the United States and the Russian Federation, as guarantors of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, to exert pressure on Israel to ensure full compliance with the agreement and all relevant international resolutions.