Israel Wages War for Land and Water in Syria’s South. The invasion following the collapse of the Assad regime has had a devastating impact on locals’ livelihoods.
Since the rapid collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime last December at the hands of opposition factions, Israel has moved swiftly to reshape the contours of power in Syria’s south. Within 24 hours of the regime’s fall on Dec. 8, Israeli forces invaded the 150-square-mile demilitarized buffer zone separating Syria and Israel, violating a 1974 ceasefire agreement. They also carried out a blitz of airstrikes on military sites across southern Syria and the rest of the country.
In the months since, Israeli forces have continued to make inroads into Quneitra and Daraa provinces, seizing strategic military points and building outposts. In Daraa, residents of Kawaya and Maariya have come into direct contact with the Israeli military, which has limited access to their lands and vital water resources by seizing a major dam.
