Israeli raids and arrests weigh on villages in southern Syria

Former detainees say Israeli forces held them for months without charge or a lawyer, and describe being beaten while handcuffed. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment.

Violations of the 1974 agreement in September

280 violations

A Syrian monitoring group, the Sijil Center, counted 280 Israeli violations of the 1974 agreement in September, from incursions and arrests to artillery fire.

The UN force that has patrolled the zone since 1974 says Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints at times keep it from carrying out its planned patrols.

Israel says its presence in Syria is needed for its security and to protect Syria's Druze community, a claim the Syrian government rejects. Talks on a security agreement have largely stalled.