Israeli spraying operations with glyphosate threaten the agricultural sector in southern Syria

The Governorate's Directorate of Agriculture reported that these operations were not limited to specific lands, but rather extended to vast areas, resulting in damage to the vegetation cover and the exit of large parts of the pastures from service, in a scene that threatens the agricultural sector and livestock in the region.

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According to the information, the spraying operations caused damage to about 255 farmers, including the lands of several villages and towns, including Al-Razaniyah, Al-Batmiyeh, Al-Qahtaniyah, Bir Ajam Al-Gharbiyah, Al-Mu’allaqa, Sidon Al-Hanout, Al-Asha, Rafid, Wasabah, Kudna, Jabata Al-Khashab, Ovania, and Al-Hurriya. Field inspections showed that vegetation cover had almost completely disappeared in most of the pastures and winter crops that were subjected to spraying, with limited damage recorded in olive trees.

The spraying operations come in light of the continued Israeli incursions and movements in the Quneitra countryside and areas of southern Syria, which are accompanied by the establishment of dirt berms, military points, and raids, searches, and arrests, which increases fears among residents about the impact of these measures on agricultural activity and population stability in the border areas, in a scene that reflects the complexity of the situation and the intertwining of security and economic threats.

Farmers believe that pesticide spraying operations constitute an extension of the Israeli measures in the areas adjacent to the ceasefire line, considering that its effects are not limited to agricultural lands, but extend to livestock and the livelihoods of hundreds of families, at a time when residents fear the continuation of these operations and the additional damage they may cause, especially in light of the difficulty of farmers reaching some of their lands and investing in them, in conjunction with the continuing tensions and military movements in the areas close to the ceasefire line.