Syrian Families Seek Answers About Relatives Held by Israel
Families in villages near the buffer zone say Israeli checkpoints, patrols and raids have unsettled daily life and left them struggling to learn what happened to detained relatives. Syrian officials and U.N.-backed investigators say 49 Syrians have been detained since December 2024; 16 were released over the past year.
Kinan Baker was taken from his home during a raid in August 2025, his mother said. Soldiers threatened to blow up the house unless he came out within five minutes. He was blindfolded and handcuffed, and his family has had no word about his whereabouts since. “We can only hold on to hope in God, and pray that he reunites us with our son,” Huda Baker said.
Ali al-Abdullah, 20, said he was arrested at a checkpoint in June 2025 and was held by Israeli authorities for over five months without charges. He described solitary confinement, restricted movement and conditions that made sleeping difficult. Another former detainee, Wadih Baker, said he was told he would be held for five minutes but remained in custody for about 15 months.
Human rights groups say former detainees and relatives have described mistreatment, including torture allegations. Israel’s military rejects claims of abuse and says it detains people when it has reasonable suspicion of involvement in militant activity. It says its presence around the buffer zone is necessary to protect its northern border from Hezbollah.
Israel took control of the zone in December 2024 after Bashar Assad was ousted and declared the 1974 agreement establishing the U.N.-patrolled area void. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has called for an Israeli withdrawal. Families say appeals to Syria’s government and the United Nations have not brought them information about their loved ones.
Israeli Detentions Leave Syrian Families Without Answers
The detentions have become a painful consequence of Israel’s expanded military presence in southwestern Syria: families say they cannot find out where relatives are held or why they were taken. Syrian officials and U.N.-backed investigators count 49 people detained since December 2024, with 16 released over the past year.
Huda Baker said Israeli forces raided her home in August 2025 and threatened to blow it up unless her son Kinan came outside within five minutes. He left, was blindfolded and handcuffed, and has not contacted his family since. “We can only hold on to hope in God, and pray that he reunites us with our son,” she said.
Ali al-Abdullah said Israeli authorities held him for over five months after his arrest at a checkpoint in June 2025. He said he was never charged and described harsh solitary-confinement conditions. Former detainees and relatives have also alleged mistreatment, including torture, according to human rights groups.
Israel’s military denies abuse allegations and says it detains people when there is reasonable suspicion of militant activity. It argues its deployment is required to shield its northern frontier from Hezbollah. But that security explanation does not answer the families’ central concern: they say they have received no information about loved ones such as Kinan.
Israel took control of the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone after Assad’s ouster and declared the 1974 agreement void. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has demanded that Israel leave. Families say their requests for information to Syria’s government and the United Nations have gone unanswered.
Israel Cites Border Security as Syrians Remain in Detention
Israel says its military presence around the buffer zone is a necessary defense against Hezbollah, but its operations have also led to dozens of Syrian detentions and growing distress among families. Syrian officials and U.N.-backed investigators say 49 people have been detained since December 2024, and 16 were released over the past year.
The military says it questions or detains people when there is reasonable suspicion they are involved in militant activity. It rejects claims that detainees have been abused. Syrian authorities, however, dispute Israel’s account of militant activity in the area, while human rights groups say former detainees and relatives have alleged ill-treatment and torture.
Ali al-Abdullah said he was arrested at an Israeli checkpoint in June 2025 and held for more than five months without charges. He described solitary confinement and restrictions on movement. Wadih Baker said he was told his detention would last five minutes, but he remained in custody for roughly 15 months.
The uncertainty is especially acute for the family of Kinan Baker. His mother said Israeli soldiers raided their home in August 2025, demanded that he come out within five minutes and threatened to destroy the house. He was taken away blindfolded and handcuffed; the family has heard nothing from him since.
Israel seized the U.N.-patrolled zone after Bashar Assad’s ouster and declared the 1974 agreement void. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has called for an Israeli withdrawal. Families say appeals to Syria’s government and the United Nations have not yielded information, leaving them caught between Israel’s stated security rationale and their demand to know what happened to their relatives.
Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, WTOP.
