A BBC Arabic team was detained and interrogated by Israeli forces while reporting in southern Syria, amidst heightened military activity in the region. They faced threats and their equipment was confiscated before being released hours later.
BBC Crew Detained by Israeli Forces in Southern Syria
BBC Crew Detained by Israeli Forces in Southern Syria
An alarming incident sees a BBC Arabic team face detention and interrogation by Israeli soldiers while reporting near the Golan Heights.
On the morning of May 9, a BBC Arabic journalism team, consisting of seven members including British and Iraqi staff, ventured from Damascus to the southern province of Deraa with plans to report near the Israeli-held Golan Heights. This area has been under Israeli military control since December 2022, following a statement from Israel's Prime Minister regarding the ongoing occupation of a demilitarized zone.
The team initially filmed near a United Nations observation post before attempting to access Quneitra city, which has remained under Israeli control since the 1974 disengagement agreement after the Six-Day War in 1967. As they approached a checkpoint, Israeli tanks were spotted nearby, and one of the journalists attempted to identify themselves to Israeli soldiers watching from a distance.
When they began recording, four Israeli soldiers approached them in a white vehicle, brandishing rifles and ordering the team to relinquish their camera. Despite attempts to clarify their identity as a BBC crew, tensions escalated rapidly.
The journalists managed to notify BBC London of the situation before the soldiers seized their phones and equipment. They were detained and taken to the Quneitra crossing where the soldiers scrutinized their footage and interrogated them about their intentions. My experience included a distressing search and personal inquiries while witnessing my colleagues being treated with restraint and subjected to strip searches.
Throughout the seven-hour ordeal, the team was threatened with severe consequences should they attempt to report from the area again. Eventually, the team was released in a rural area outside of Quneitra, left disoriented and stranded without communication. After navigating their way through local knowledge, they finally made their way back to Damascus, highlighted by the risk they undertook while carrying out their journalistic duties amidst military tensions.
