'Playbook in Palestinian territory': HRW accuses Israel of displacing south Syria residents

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday accused Israeli forces of committing "war crimes" for forcibly displacing residents of southern Syria.

"Israeli forces occupying parts of southern Syria since December 2024 have carried out a range of abuses against residents, including forced displacement, which is a war crime," HRW said in a statement.

The report came as Syrian state media reported that Israeli forces seized several people in the south, and a day after Damascus said it was working with Washington to reach mutual "security understandings" with Israel.

“Israel’s military forces operating in Syria should not have a free hand to seize homes, demolish them, and drive families out,” said Hiba Zayadin, senior Syria researcher for the New York-based watchdog.

“Israel’s recent actions in southern Syria are not legitimate acts of military necessity, but pages out of the playbook used in the occupied Palestinian territory and other parts of the region, stripping residents of basic rights and freedoms," Zayadin said.