ISTANBUL

The Israeli army detained a child west of Kodna village in Syria’s southern Quneitra province on Thursday.

The state-run Alikhbariah TV reported that Israeli troops arrested the child in the western outskirts of the village and took him to an undisclosed location.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military regarding the reported detention.

Damascus has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides. Tel Aviv announced unilaterally that it was canceling the agreement after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024.

Recent Israeli actions have included ground incursions, artillery shelling—particularly in the countryside of Quneitra and Daraa in southern Syria—arrests of civilians, the establishment of checkpoints to search and question residents, and the destruction of crops.

The Israeli incursions come despite the announcement on Jan. 6 of the formation of a contact mechanism between Syria and Israel, under US supervision, to coordinate information exchange, reduce military escalation, promote diplomatic engagement, and explore trade opportunities.

Syrians say the continued Israeli actions limit their ability to restore stability and hinder government efforts to attract investment to improve economic conditions.