CBRN event in Ofania area, Syrian Arab Republic on Fri 30th January 2026

Herbicide Operations in Southern Syria

Israeli occupation forces have adopted a pattern of chemical spraying in southern Syria, targeting agricultural and grazing lands along the separation line in Quneitra governorate. According to monitoring by the Syrian documentation center “Sajel,” the first spraying operation took place on January 25, 2026, affecting the villages of Kodna, al-Asha, and al-Asbah in southern Quneitra countryside. Aircraft reportedly remained airborne for nearly four hours, dispersing an unidentified substance across farmland. Subsequent operations were documented on January 27 in Sayda al-Hanout, and on January 30 across northern Quneitra villages, including Jabatha al-Khashab, Ofania, al-Hurriya, al-Hamidiyah, al-Adnaniyah, Ruwayhina, and Bir Ajam. The spraying extended across more than 65 kilometers along the disengagement line. Within a single week, large areas of green vegetation withered. In southern Quneitra alone, an estimated 3,500 dunams of pastureland were damaged, including 1,500 dunams of forested areas previously cut by Israeli forces in early 2025. Around 450 dunams of winter crops — wheat, barley, and beans — were affected, in addition to roughly 50 dunams of olive trees, according to figures cited by the Quneitra Directorate of Agriculture. Farmers described immediate impacts. Khaled Shams al-Rahil told Sajel that grazing lands were effectively destroyed, forcing livestock owners to purchase expensive feed. His son, who was tending sheep during the spraying, reportedly suffered severe eye irritation for hours. Livestock appeared exhausted and unable to graze normally the following day. Another farmer, Fadi al-Mughtari, reported the death of several sheep days after spraying in the al-Razaniya farm area. The Syrian Ministry of Agriculture stated on February 11 that laboratory tests did not detect acutely toxic substances in water samples. However, it acknowledged the presence of broadleaf and narrowleaf herbicides in some plant samples and confirmed significant visible damage to vegetation. Officials cautioned residents against entering affected areas pending further monitoring.