From Quneitra to Israel's 'Guantanamo' Syrians recount detention

Former Syrian detainees from Quneitra have described being interrogated by Israeli forces about Iran, Hezbollah and local social networks after being abducted from southern Syria, as families of dozens of missing civilians continue to demand information about their whereabouts.

Israel has continued to expand its military occupation and conduct repeated incursions into southern Syria since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, carrying out raids in border communities and imposing increasing restrictions on civilian movement in ongoing violations of the country’s sovereignty.

Alongside these operations, dozens of civilians from Quneitra, Daraa and the western Damascus countryside have been kidnapped and transferred into Israeli custody.

While some detainees have returned home after days, weeks or months in detention, others remain missing, with families calling on the United Nations and human rights organisations to intervene and help secure their release.

Syrians held in Israel’s ‘Guantanamo’

Abu Kinan al Sayyed, a resident of Quneitra province, told Syria TV that he was detained alongside his brother, nephew and son on 15 November 2025 near the town of Khan Arnabeh.

According to his testimony, the four men were initially taken to an Israeli military base in the village of al Hamidiyah before being transferred into Israeli territory.

Abu Kinan said he spent approximately 65 days in detention before being released on 19 January 2026. During his imprisonment, he said he was surprised to find around 45 Syrian detainees being held in Israel’s Sde Teiman detention facility in the Negev desert.

Located inside a military base about 30 kilometres from Gaza, Sde Teiman has been widely referred to in media reports as “Israel’s Guantanamo” because of allegations of abuse and its harsh reputation among detainees.

The Israeli military established the facility following the start of its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023 and has held detainees from Gaza as well as Syrians and Lebanese nationals, including children, young people and elderly prisoners.

No clear charges

Abu Kinan said no clear charges were ever brought against him. He said his detention was based on “malicious reports” submitted by local individuals who were “cooperating with Israeli authorities”.

“The investigations concluded that there was nothing against us,” he said. “They would place every detainee in solitary confinement from the first day until the interrogation date, then transfer them to a dormitory designated for people of their nationality.”

Although he said he was not subjected to direct physical abuse or humiliation, he described the uncertainty of detention as the most difficult aspect of the experience.

“The suffering is being far from your family and your country, not knowing anything about your fate, why you were taken to the occupied territories, or what will happen to you,” he said.

Questions about Iran and Hezbollah

Other former detainees recently released by Israel told Syria TV that interrogations focused heavily on Iranian influence in southern Syria, local networks and Hezbollah’s former activities in the region.

According to their testimonies, detainees were also questioned about their political views and their opinions regarding developments in Syria over recent years.

The former detainees stressed that those arrested were civilians engaged in ordinary daily activities and showed no signs of involvement in military or security operations.

One 23-year-old from Jaba al Khashab said he was detained while grazing livestock. After being blindfolded, he was transferred to a nearby military facility.

Speaking anonymously out of fear of being detained again, he said interrogators focused on Hezbollah’s previous presence in Quneitra and asked about his relationship with the group.

“They asked me about Hezbollah’s control of southern Syria and the activities it carried out there,” he said.

He told interrogators he had no information because he had still been a school student during the period when Hezbollah was active in the area.

A 26-year-old detainee from Ghadir al Bustan said he was arrested while riding his motorcycle.

He said much of the questioning centred on Iranian involvement in Syria, Syrians who joined Hezbollah and whether he knew people from Quneitra with links to the group.

Maps, names and social connections

One recurring element in several testimonies was the use of maps during interrogations.

The former detainee from Jaba al Khashab said investigators displayed maps and asked him to identify villages and homes belonging to people suspected of having worked with Iran or Hezbollah.

Similarly, the detainee from Ghadir al Bustan said interrogators pointed to various areas, roads and families in Quneitra province and sought detailed information about individuals believed to have been supporters of, or connected to, Hezbollah.

The questioning also extended beyond security matters.

The detainee from Jaba al Khashab said he was asked about his views on Syria’s current government and how it compared with the previous administration.

The detainee from Ghadir al Bustan said interrogators asked whether he had supported or opposed Bashar al Assad’s rule, his opinion of the current government and whether he might join the Syrian army in the future.

Psychological impact

Despite eventually being released, several former detainees said the experience left lasting psychological effects.

The detainee from Jaba al Khashab said he was moved after his first interrogation to another detention centre, where he was placed in a cell with ten Syrian detainees.

He later learned that some Syrians were being transferred to Beersheba prison inside Israel.

He said investigators repeatedly asked the same questions throughout his detention and, shortly before his release, requested his phone number and home address.

A 17-year-old from Al Rafid, who was detained while collecting firewood, said he was never formally interrogated. However, Israeli personnel confiscated his phone, recorded his personal details and warned him not to approach military sites before releasing him.

The detainee from Ghadir al Bustan said Israeli authorities similarly recorded his phone number and address before his release.

Abu Kinan said most of the Syrians he encountered in detention were labourers and low-income workers with no links to armed groups.

He added that some Syrian detainees had been imprisoned for six months or even a year while their families remained unaware of their fate.

Families demand answers

The testimonies come as relatives of missing Syrians continue campaigning for information about their loved ones.

Last Friday, families of several detainees staged a protest outside a base used by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Nabaa al Fawar area of Quneitra countryside, demanding information on where their relatives were being held and calling for their release.

Protesters held the international community and the United Nations responsible for following up on the issue, saying the continued detention of their relatives was deepening the suffering of families living in a state of constant uncertainty.

Families also organised a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in Damascus in May, saying relatives from Quneitra, Daraa and western Damascus countryside had been abducted and forcibly disappeared by Israeli forces.

According to a statement read by relatives during the demonstration, 47 people, including students, teachers and farmers, are currently detained or forcibly disappeared after being taken by Israeli forces.

The figure closely matches Abu Kinan’s estimate that approximately 47 Syrians remain held in Israeli prisons.

He called on the media to highlight their plight and urged the United Nations and the international community to act to secure their release and return them to their families, jobs and normal lives.