Geneva: Israeli violations of human rights and international humanitarian law on Syrian territory may amount to war crimes, a UN inquiry warned, raising alarm over increasingly entrenched Israeli military activity in the country. 'We are deeply alarmed by violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by Israel on Syrian territory, which may amount to war crimes,' Commissioner Fionnuala Ni Aolain told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria reported that Israeli military activity on Syrian territory has become increasingly 'sustained and entrenched,' with ground incursions, patrols, raids, and searches conducted routinely and causing displacement among residents. As of September, Israeli forces had detained 49 people, including two children, on Syrian territory, it said.

Some detainees are being held incommunicado, raising concerns over potential torture and ill-treatment, according to the commission. The inquiry assessed broader human rights challenges facing Syria as the country approaches the second anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024.

It stressed that Syria's transition depends on comprehensive accountability and warned that selective justice for international crimes could deepen grievances and undermine reconciliation.