More livelihoods at risk in southern Syria as Israeli crop dusters destroy farmland with mystery chemicals

Israeli forces nabbed civilians and destroyed farmland in southern Syria this week, in the latest targeting of Quneitra's agricultural sector - a lifeline for Syrians in the area.

Israeli troops detained three young Syrians as they collected firewood in the northern countryside of Quneitra on Monday, while a child herding livestock in the village of Kudna was also abducted in a terrifying ordeal for the young shepherd.

All four were released hours later, but the incident reflects a broader pattern of Israeli violations in southern Syria, including repeated raids, abductions, and damage to agricultural land, as Israeli forces continue their land grab in the country.

In the continued assault on Syria's south, Israeli forces also sprayed farmland in the Quneitra countryside with an unknown chemical, causing extensive damage to crops and livestock, the Quneitra Media Directorate said.

In total, approximately 3,000 dunams of grazing land, 250 dunams of wheat and barley fields, as well as dozens of additional agricultural plots were damaged by Israeli crop sprayers, resulting in the deaths of several sheep in the area.

Jamal Ali, director of agriculture in Quneitra, said a wheat field in the town of Kudna was also destroyed, which will cause immense hardship for the farmers who till the land.

"A field inspection of the targeted lands showed severe environmental damage, including the complete destruction of vegetation cover, such as grasses and wild plants," Ali said, adding that this demonstrated the direct and dangerous impact of chemical substances on the environment.

Ali Ibrahim, director of the environment department, said the villages of Kudna, al-Asha, and al-Rafid - which lie along the ceasefire line - were targeted by Israeli agricultural aircraft with mystery chemicals on 25 January, in "a clear violation of international agreements related to the protection of civilians and the environment".

Israel had conducted similar campaigns to destroy farmland in southern Lebanon, under the pretext of destroying terrain used by fighters to ambush invading Israeli forces.

Syrian officials are assessing the damage to the farmland and livestock in a region where people are heavily reliant on agriculture for their livelihoods, and few other sources of income are available.

Residents of the affected villages called on Syrian authorities and the international community to hold those responsible to account and force Israel to provide compensation to farmers who lost their crops and sheep.

The Syrian government has repeatedly warned that all actions carried out by Israel in southern Syria were a breach of international law, and has called on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities by deterring Israeli practices and enforcing a full withdrawal from occupied Syrian territory.