Israeli grab for territory
Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Syria, and are accussed of carrying out a range of abuses against residents, including forced displacements. Human Rights Watch said in a new report that Israeli forces have seized and demolished homes, blocked residents from their property and livelihoods, and arbitrarily detained residents and transferred them to Israel.

Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has pushed deep into the UN-monitored “buffer zone” separating the Golan Heights—Syrian territory which Israel has held since 1967—from the part of Quneitra province that remained under Syrian control. It has now established nine military posts stretching from Mount Hermon through Quneitra city to parts of western Daraa province. In the supposed interest of protecting the Druze, Israel is proposing an expanded “demilitarized zone” beyond the buffer zone that has been patrolled by the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) since 1974. The expanded zone, from which Syrian government aircraft and artillery would be barred, would cover all of as-Suwayda province. (HRW, ISW)

UNDOF has been protesting the Israeli incursion as a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Controlled parliamentary elections
The tentative deal for as-Suwayda comes at a key moment in Syria’s transition process, with the first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad dictatorship to be held early next month. However, rather than a popular vote, lawmakers will be chosen in a controlled process by appointed regional bodies, and many seats are to be directly chosen by transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa. “The reality in Syria does not permit the holding of traditional elections, given the presence of millions of internally and externally displaced persons, the absence of official documents [and] the fragility of the legal structure,” the government said in a statement explaining the indirect election model. Critics say the process gives the president too much control, while leaving religious minorities under-represented. (PRI, DW)

Map: PCL

The local Bedouin militias appear to be aligned with the Syrian transitional government, and government forces sent in to put down the fighting apparently clashed with local Druze militias. One prominent Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, has disavowed the truce agreement entered into by other Druze notables in Suwayda. (AP)

After the violence subsided, al-Sharaa pledged to protect Syria’s Druze, but added: “From the moment the Assad regime fell, the Israeli entity has repeatedly tried to undermine our stability and sow discord among us, and is working to turn our pure land into an arena of chaos.” (Reuters)

See our last report on the Israeli intervention in Syria.

Map: Google

During the Security Council briefing, Khiari and the head of UN Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, told ambassadors that the recent activities by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) violate the Separation of Forces Agreement between the two countries, and pose a threat to the fragile political transition in Syria. Israel and Syria signed the accord in 1974, agreeing to a ceasefire and the establishment of an area of separation in the Golan Heights. The border between the two countries is itself disputed, as Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights since 1967 and unilaterally declared the area as annexed. Since the fall of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria in December 2024, Israel has pushed deeper into the neighboring country and occupied more territory. Israel recently declared that it would remain in southern Syria indefinitely, and has even advertised Passover “hiking tours” in the newly occupied areas.

The UN Security Council has issued multiple resolutions prohibiting the “threat or use of force in international relations.” The Security Council in 2023 called for “parties to withdraw all military forces from a disputed area or occupied territories.” In resolutions specifically applying to Syria and Israel, it has stressed that both parties must honor their international obligations to respect the terms of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, and to honor the ceasefire and “area of separation.”

Khaled Khiari also said in his speech to the Security Council that hundreds of IDF air-strikes across Syria—including in densely-populated cities Damascus, Hama and Homs—have been reported, with several civilian casualties confirmed. Khaled Khiari also called for Israel to respect Syria’s sovereignty, emphasizing that stabilizing the country after 14 years of conflict is vital for both Syrians and Israelis. He stated: “Syria is at a crossroads and deserves a chance to continue to work towards an inclusive political transition, where the Syrian people can overcome the conflict, revive their economy, realize their legitimate aspirations, and contribute to regional stability.”

Syria’s current political transition follows the ouster in December 2024 of the Bashar al-Assad regime, which ruled the country for over five decades and was overthrown by political and militant organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While officially disbanded, the HTS is the current de facto authority in Syria under the leadership of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

From JURIST, April 11. Used with permission.

See our last report on Israel in Syria.

Photo via Twitter

Israel also announced that it has taken control of Mount Hermon, which lies at the northernmost extent of the buffer zone, stradding the border of Syria and Lebanon, and intends to remain there at least through the winter. The UN has called on Israel to withdraw from the buffer zone, which the IDF occupied on Dec. 8 as the Assad regime collapsed. (BBC News)

The violence at Maariyah comes amid ongoing Israeli and US military operations across the greater region. That same day, the Pentagon announced that it had killed an ISIS leader identified as Abu Yousef AKA “Mahmud,” in a targeted strike in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province. (The Hill)

The Israeli Air Force meanwhile carried out waves of air-strikes on Yemen Dec. 19. The srikes came in response to Houthi missile attacks on Israel that morning and Dec. 16, one damaging a school building near Tel Aviv. The IAF struck targets across Houthi-controlled Yemen, including in ports on the coast and Sana’a, the capital. “The targets were all used by the Houthi terrorist regime for its military activities, including fuel and oil tanks, two power plants, and eight tugboats,” the IDF said. (LWJ)

Image via Twitter

That same day, Israeli warplanes conducted dozens of raids across Syria, including in Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) counted more than 100 Israeli strikes on military and industrial targets, including a research center believed to be linked to chemical weapon production. Israel said it was acting to stop weapons from falling “into the hands of extremists.” Israeli strikes have continued since then, now reaching over 300. (BBC News, DW) Israel has been carrying out intermittent air-strikes on Syria for years, but these represent a dramatic escalation.

Israel has also seized control of a demilitarized “buffer zone” in the Golan Heights, saying the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria had “collapsed” with the rebel take-over of the country. The Israeli leadership is denying reports that IDF troops have advanced beyond the buffer zone, and are moving toward Damascus. (BBC News, DW)

Amid scenes of jubilation in Damascus, the White Helmets rescue group are searching liberated Saydnaya prison for clandestine subterranean cells where the regime’s “disappeared” may be held. Relatives of the detained and disappeared have gathered by the hundreds at the prison, and are assisting in the search. (TNA, BBC News)

Unfortunately, fighting continues between the victorious rebel forces and Kurdish militias in the east. The town of Tal Rifaat has fallen from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and is now in the hands of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). The SNA is continuing to advance on Manbij, the last Kurdish-held town west of the Euphrates River. The United States, which backs the SDF, has apparently reached an agreement with Turkey to ensure the safe evacuation of Manbij. (EAW, K24, Reuters)

The Military Operations Administration, overall armed umbrella of the rebel forces, is meanwhile advancing on Deir Ezzor, a large Arab-majority town in the east which was taken by the SDF as the regime collapsed. US air power is said to be deterring the MOA from entering the city. (Enab Baladi)

The deposed Bashar Assad has reportedly fled to Moscow. Russia is calling on the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Syria. (Jurist)

Photo of B-52 bomber: USAF via A&SF

In Episode 250 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg urges that the “Abandon Harris” campaign, however laudable its professed aims, can at this point only abet a Trump victory and is therefore inimical to Palestinian survival.

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Hezbollah has denied responsibility, asserting that a projectile from Israel’s own Iron Dome missile defense system hit the village amid strikes on military targets elsewhere in the area by the Iran-backed Lebanese armed organization. Israel and Hezbollah have been trading strikes over the Lebanese border since Oct. 8, a day after the start of the war in Gaza. Israel has killed 527 people in Lebanon since then, according to an AFP tally, including at least 104 civilians. Israel says 23 of its civilians and 17 soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah rocket-fire over this period. (The Guardian, MEE, Reuters)

The Golan Heights, seized by Israel from Syria in 1967 and formally annexed in 1981, is considered to be occupied territory under international law and UN Security Council resolutions, and Syria continues to demand it be returned.  More than 20,000 Druze live in the Golan Heights. Most of them identify as Syrian and rejected an offer of Israeli citizenship after the 1967 seizure. Those who refused were given Israeli residency cards but are not considered citizens. (CNN)

On the same day as the strike on the Golan, the Israeli military struck a school in south-central Gaza, with the Strip’s health ministry reporting at least 30 Palestinians killed and some 100 injured. The Israel Defense Forces said that the school was being used as a Hamas command center. Hamas denied the IDF claims. Since the attack, a video of the aftermath has been verified by several major news outlets. The video appears to show children among the victims of the strike.

The strike on the Deir al-Balah school is the latest in a campaign by the IDF in and around Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza where Israel says it seeks to wipe out Hamas leadership. The Gaza Civil Defense Service says that 170 people have been killed in the campaign since it began a week ago. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 190,000 Palestinians have been displaced from Khan Younis as a result of the military operations. Meanwhile, the IDF has ordered civilians to relocate to an “adjusted humanitarian area” in al-Mawasi. (Jurist)

Image: Pixabay

The Hamas announcement followed Israel’s evacuation orders for parts of Rafah.

KAN, Israel’s public broadcaster, reported that the proposal was made by the mediators without Israeli involvement. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later told Reuters that Hamas had accepted a “softened” version with “far-reaching” consequences that Israel could not accept. “This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal,” the Israeli official said.

Reuters reported some of the details of the proposal, which would have three phases, based on statements from Hamas officials and “an official briefed on the talks.” The first phase would include a 42-day ceasefire, the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza, and the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza. The second phase would include another 42-day ceasefire, an agreement to restore “sustainable calm,” the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops in Gaza, and the release of captive Israeli soldiers and reservists in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners. The third phase would include the exchange of bodies, the implementation of a reconstruction plan for Gaza, and the end of the blockade on the Strip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told state media that he welcomed the deal, and urged the international community to pressure Israel to accept it. Jordan’s king warned that an Israeli attack on Rafah could lead to a “new massacre,” while the UN Secretary-General urgedIsrael and Hamas to “go the extra mile needed to make an agreement.”

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the White House, which has expressed opposition to Israel invading Rafah, is studying the deal with its allies, and that the US is working to secure a ceasefire agreement. Hamas deputy official Khalil al-Hayya told Al Jazeera that mediators told them Washington is committed to implementing the agreement.

Hamas had sent a delegation to Cairo to discuss a ceasefire and hostage release proposal, and said May 5 that there was not an agreement. Earlier on May 6, a Hamas official told an Israeli reporter that negotiations were likely to be suspended and talks had seemed to break down, with the two parties accusing the other of sabotaging a deal. Israel started preparing for ground operations in Rafah, with an evacuation announcement and overnight air-strikes.

From Jurist, May 6. Used with permission.

Note: Amid reports on the ceasefire deal, Hamas fired rockets at Israeli forces near the main entry point for aid into the Gaza Strip. The strike on the Kerem Shalom crossing killed three Israeli soldiers, and Israel responded by closing the gateway. (PBS NewsHour)

Image: Workers set up tents donated by the Qatari Red Crescent in al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated “safe zone” in Gaza. Credit: Mohamed Soulaimane/TNH

Israel’s intermittent air-strikes on Iran-backed militia forces in Syria have been escalating since the Gaza bombardment began.

Image: Pixabay