GENEVA — A UN commission investigating Syria said Tuesday that it was deeply alarmed over Israel’s military activity inside Syrian territory, warning that some actions, including the detention of civilians, could amount to war crimes.

Presenting an update to the UN Human Rights Council, Commissioner Fionnuala Ní Aoláin said Israeli military operations in southern Syria had become “increasingly sustained and entrenched,” with recurring ground incursions, patrols, raids and searches affecting civilians.

In response, the Israeli Mission in Geneva accused the commission of conducting an “Israel-bashing session,” and said Israel had no territorial aspirations in Syria.

“[Israel] maintains a temporary buffer zone amounting to 0.1% of Syria to protect its citizens from proven security threats,” it said in a statement.

Syria is seeking to rebuild nearly two years after former president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels led by a jihadist group commanded by Syria’s current president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Israeli troops entered a UN-patrolled buffer zone after the collapse of Assad’s government in December 2024, a move Israel described as temporary and necessary to secure its border during the political transition.

Israel has since carried out hundreds of strikes on Syrian military infrastructure and seized new positions deeper into Syria. The Syrian government and the United Nations have said the........

© The Times of Israel