Several photos and videos sent to the FRANCE 24 Observers team show Israeli planes flying at a low altitude over agricultural zones in the governorate of Quneitra in southern Syria.
At left, an Israeli plane flies during an operation where it sprayed chemical substances to the west of the village of Kodna in Quneitra, Syria, on February 1, 2026. At right, an Israeli plane sprays farmland near Al-Razaniyeh, also in Quneitra, on January 27, 2026. Images provided by our Observers. © Observers
In some of the footage, a white trail appears behind the planes, which is likely indicative of chemicals being sprayed. Moreover, farmers in several villages in the Quneitra governorate say that Israeli planes sprayed chemical substances on their land on January 25, 27 and 30, 2026. These operations took place all along the Alpha line, which marks the border between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
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Syria’s Ministry of Agriculture reported on February 11 that tests carried out in Quneitra didn’t show acute levels of toxicity, but did not specify what chemicals had been sprayed on the land.
Israeli TV channel i24News reported on February 2 that the Israeli army was spraying herbicides on farmland "in areas near the Syrian and Lebanese borders so as to kill vegetation that terrorists could hide in”. The Israeli army did not respond to the questions that our team put to them.
An accord signed in 1974 between Tel Aviv and Damascus established a demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan region which would be monitored by the United Nations. However, after the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fell on December 8, 2024, the Israeli army built eleven military bases inside this zone or within Syrian territory. One of these bases is located on Mount Hermon, a key strategic location that offers the possibility to surveil the entire region. Residents of this rural region – especially those living near the villages of Kodna and Al-Razaniyeh, both located in Quneitra – have reported that the Israeli army has been carrying out these chemical spraying operations as well as forest clearing.
This map shows the military bases that Israel constructed in southern Syria after the Syrian regime fell on December 8, 2024. © FMM graphics studio
‘Ten days after the planes flew over, everything was yellow, and then everything died’
Abu Salah (whose name has been changed to protect his anonymity) is a farmer who lives in Al-Razaniyeh in Quneitra.
"On January 27, 2026, planes flew over our land and started to spray. We didn’t know what they were spraying, but we saw it fall onto our fields. Ten days after the planes flew over, everything was yellow and then everything died. I lost 75 hectares of wheat; my whole harvest disappeared.
We borrowed money to grow these crops because the previous years were bad due to the lack of rain. This year, the rain was good, so we thought it would be an offset year. Now, we’ve lost the harvest, and we have even more debts. People want their money. I don’t know what to do.
The Israeli occupation forces want this area to become a zone without life, not just a zone without weapons. They want to force us to leave. But it is our land and we won’t leave it.
Since the Syrian regime fell on December 8, 2024, we’ve been subjected to repeated incursions, gunshots, arrests. I had already lost sheep after my herd was shot at. Now, they are killing our land by spraying it with toxic substances. And on the other side, we don’t see our government doing anything about it. Between the two of them, we are really lost."
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‘The vegetation cover around Kodna became notably less healthy beginning in early 2025’
Our team contacted Quneitra’s director of agriculture, Jamal Mohammad Ali, who said that Israeli planes sprayed “the entire area along the border, from the north to the south”. Ali said that technical teams were dispatched to the affected areas to take samples. The results have not yet been made public, but Ali told our team that they found “general herbicides, diuron and 2,4-DB”.
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Ali told our team that the crops that were sprayed turned yellow, then dried up completely and died. In some plots, the effects continue to spread. Local authorities estimate that around 400 hectares of grain and 4,000 hectares of pasture land – vital for grazing livestock – were affected. All of this threatens the livelihoods and even survival of local farmers.
The Israeli army also carried out spraying operations near the village of Kodna. Using satellite images posted on X by the online investigative account Samir, we compared the evolution of the zone targeted since 2022. In the images, which were captured using infrared, the red areas indicate thick vegetation. It’s clear that by 2026, there was a lot less vegetation.
This is a series of Sentinel-2 satellite images captured in infrared that were taken of Kodna located east of the Alpha line. They were gathered by He Yin. By examining the images, you can see that the areas covered by thick vegetation have decreased since February 2022. © Copernicus
Our team spoke to He Yin, a satellite image specialist at Kent State University, who analysed these images:
"The clearest conclusion is that the vegetation cover around Kodna became notably less ‘healthy’ beginning in early 2025 and remained degraded into early 2026.
In the early-February images from 2022–2024, the fields around the marked location are consistently bright red, indicating relatively vigorous vegetation cover. In contrast, the 2025–2026 images show the same area as more muted and brownish with a weaker red signal, consistent with reduced vegetation vigour and/or cover (for instance, more bare soil, senescent vegetation, or a sparser canopy)."
‘This land was covered with trees, they cut it all down’
Hassan (whose name has been changed for this article) grew crops in the affected zone.
"I lost 80 hectares of land. Everything I planted turned yellow. Even the olive trees started to lose their leaves. Both my land and my uncle’s land were affected – an area of more than 2,000 hectares that was planted with pines and almond trees. When the Israeli army entered after the fall of the Syrian regime, they cut down all the trees. The whole forest was razed.
That’s why, on the maps, you see a big empty area. Then, they sprayed it all. These violations happened in front of my eyes and I couldn’t do anything. It’s the law of the strongest against the weakest.”
These two photos sent to us by Hassan show farmland near the village of Kodna, in Quneitra. At left is a photo taken on January 15, 2026, showing Hassan’s land before Israeli planes sprayed it. At right is an image taken on February 1, 2026, showing the same land after Israeli planes sprayed it with chemicals. Observers
Hassan also documented the razing of trees in the forest of Kodna, located to the west of his village.
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The image at the left shows Kodna forest before December 8, 2024, while the second image shows the same forest in January 2025. You can clearly see the forest clearing activities carried out by Israeli forces. © Observers
Israeli authorities have not made any public statements about their aims, making it impossible to establish with certainty their strategy.
This is a map showing the village of Kodna, located in Quneitra countryside. You can see the Israeli military bases that have been built on Syrian land as well as where Hassan’s field is located. © FMM graphics studio
In Lebanon, local officials have interpreted similar incidents as part of a broader security context tied to tensions with Hezbollah. This border region is frequently the site of Israeli military operations targeting the Shiite group. Two ministries reported that tests revealed the use of a high concentration of herbicides that posed both health and environmental risks.
Accusations against settlers in the West Bank
Reports of similar spraying activity have also come from the West Bank. Farmers in the Masafer Yatta region, south of Hebron, reported that settlers sprayed chemicals on their crops in early February 2026.
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Hussein Shanaran’s fields were attacked by settlers:
"In early February 2026, settlers sprayed our land with chemicals using hand pumps. A week later, on the night of February 6, 2026, I heard drones. They sprayed the crops again, but this time from the air.
They sprayed an area of about 450 hectares. I lost 20 hectares of wheat and barley. The land belonged to me and my cousins – we grow these crops on it to feed our animals. Now, I’ve lost everything. Every year, I harvested around three tons of wheat, as well as hay. I lost around $5,000 and the land is poisoned. My olive trees and vineyards have also been damaged.”
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He says that he filed a complaint.
"We filed a complaint against the settlers. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture came to take samples and promised compensation. We live surrounded by settler outposts. We spend our nights guarding our homes. Our situation is very difficult.”
This article has been translated from the original in French by Brenna Daldorph.
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