UN Syria Commission Says Israeli Detentions May Amount to War Crimes

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said Israeli incursions and detention practices in southern Syria may amount to war crimes after commissioners presented findings in Geneva. Commissioner Fionnuala Ní Aoláin said the panel had identified 49 people, including two children, detained in Syria and believed transferred into Israel by July. The commission cited recurring patrols, raids, searches, checkpoints and military infrastructure after field visits to Quneitra and Daraa. Israel’s official position is that its presence addresses immediate border-security threats from instability and jihadist groups, that security imperatives drive its actions and that it has no territorial ambitions in Syria.