The Syrian Journalists Union condemned Israeli forces for opening fire on a media crew in rural Quneitra governorate (southwestern Syria) on Monday, November 9, while the journalists were carrying out their work. The union described the incident as “another flagrant violation of international humanitarian law provisions that guarantee the protection of journalists during field reporting.”
In a statement published on Monday evening, the union said the incident occurred at 2:51 p.m., when an Israeli patrol consisting of two military vehicles fired live ammunition directly at the crew’s car in agricultural land west of the villages of Beer Ajam and Bariqa. The shooting began after the car stopped for a few seconds to film the patrol’s incursion from inside the vehicle. The journalists neither got out of the car nor approached the Israeli forces, the union said.
The statement added that heavy gunfire continued as the car withdrew, with the Israeli patrol pursuing it for more than 1.5 kilometers. None of the crew members was injured.
The crew included Hussein Mishail, director of the Quneitra Media Directorate; Ayman al-Mohammad, a correspondent for the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA); and al-Haytham Daher and Sanad Hamad, both photographers with the Quneitra Media Directorate.
Repeated Violations Against Journalists
The union said the shooting was part of a series of violations against journalists in Quneitra governorate, which it described as attempts to prevent them from reporting the facts and documenting developments on the ground.
It noted that journalists in the governorate had previously come under artillery shelling and live gunfire while reporting, in addition to being pursued by drones and military vehicles.
The union also reported nighttime raids on journalists’ homes, including those of Sanad Hamad and Mohammed Fahd. It said the homes were searched and journalistic equipment, including cameras and filming drones, was confiscated. Journalists and their families had also received threats, according to the union.
Calls for International Investigation and Accountability
The union said targeting journalists and opening fire on them violated international humanitarian law, citing Rule 34 of customary international humanitarian law, Article 79 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, and UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015), which addresses the protection of journalists in armed conflicts.
It added that such actions also violated the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Hague Regulations of 1907, which prohibit the intimidation of civilians in occupied territories and the confiscation of their private property.
The union said the deliberate targeting of civilians could amount to a war crime under international law.
The union held Israeli authorities responsible for the safety of journalists and media workers in southern Syria and across Syrian territory. It called on the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the General Union of Arab Journalists, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to condemn the attacks, launch an independent international investigation and hold those responsible accountable.
It also called for adequate protection for journalists working in the field and guarantees that such attacks would not recur, stressing that these incidents would not deter Syrian journalists from continuing their work.
Young Man Wounded in Quneitra
Alongside the attack on the media crew, Israeli army patrols carried out incursions into rural Quneitra and wounded a young man with gunfire.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent reported that Adham, a resident of Bariqa village in rural Quneitra, was shot by Israeli forces while herding cattle in the western part of the village.
The correspondent added that Adham sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh and was transferred to Golan National Hospital in Quneitra governorate for treatment.
89 Violations in One Week
Israeli forces committed at least 89 violations across Quneitra, Daraa (southern Syria), Damascus, Damascus countryside (southwestern Syria), Suwayda (southern Syria) and Homs (central Syria) between November 1 and 7, according to documentation by the Sijil Center, which monitors Israeli violations in southern Syria.
According to the center, the violations included six shelling incidents, five detentions, nine checkpoints, six raids, 24 aircraft overflights, 32 incursions and seven other violations.
Quneitra governorate recorded the highest number, with 58 violations, including five shelling incidents, four detentions, eight checkpoints, five raids, nine aircraft overflights, 23 incursions and four other violations.
Daraa governorate recorded 22 Israeli violations, including one detention, one raid and one checkpoint, in addition to eight incursions, nine aircraft overflights and two other violations.
In Damascus, the center documented one Israeli aircraft overflight, while Damascus countryside recorded six violations, including one shelling incident, one incursion, and one other violation, alongside three aircraft overflights.
Suwayda and Homs governorates each recorded one aircraft overflight.