UN investigators warn Israeli military activity in Syria risks war crimes

The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that Syria's transition following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024 requires comprehensive accountability for past violations and an immediate end to Israeli military operations on Syrian territory, warning that continued strikes and ground incursions may amount to war crimes. The commission, chaired by Paulo Pinheiro, has documented Israeli forces expanding beyond the 1974 disengagement line in the Golan Heights buffer zone since Assad's ouster, alongside repeated airstrikes on military infrastructure across Syrian territory, actions Damascus's new authorities and rights monitors say undermine an already fragile transition. The commission's briefing underscored that genuine accountability must cover abuses committed under the former government, including those attributed to its security and intelligence apparatus, as well as violations by armed factions during the transition period, while stressing that ongoing foreign military activity complicates efforts to restore state authority and the rule of law. For Qatar and other Gulf states that backed Syria's opposition during the civil war and have since moved to support reconstruction and re-engagement with Damascus, the findings reinforce longstanding Gulf messaging that Israeli operations in Syria risk destabilizing an already precarious transition and undercutting international efforts to help the country rebuild. Qatar has consistently called for respect of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity as Damascus works to consolidate a new government following more than a decade of civil war.