Syrian Refugees Cling To Life On Golan As Assad’s Net Tightens
Thousands are trapped between the regime’s missiles and minefields along the frontier with Israel
It’s a regular stop for holidaymakers in Israel. American teenagers, some of them boys in sleeveless basketball tops, cluster on hilltop lookouts in the Golan Heights, a volcanic plateau captured from Syria half a century ago.
Visitors ride quad bikes along dusty paths or spend the day touring the area’s vineyards. Signs on the roads warn of the risks to tourists: “Caution – cyclists ahead.” For Syrians on the other side of a fortified perimeter fence, there are more pressing concerns. Thousands have gathered as close to the border as possible, gambling their lives on the assumption that Syrian government forces fighting rebels will not bring the battle too close to Israel.
It is no sure bet. From the Israelicontrolled side, the whistle of an unseen jet could be heard and then a sudden, deeper rumble. In the distance, a grey pillar of smoke punched hundreds of metres into
People were extremely nervous because most of them are opponents of the regime and have been surrounded from all sides. It was truly tragic and frightening A humanitarian worker in Quneitra
the air as the airstrike hit.
In a push to retake one of the last insurgent holdouts in Syria’s seven-year civil war, clashes in the southern Deraa and Quneitra regions erupted last June.
Last Friday, there were signals that a deal had been reached with militant groups to hand over territory, but it was unclear if the offensive would stop altogether.
Refugees have set up tents just metres away from the Israeli-controlled Golan frontier, and early last week dozens risked walking over minefields to approach the border fence, some carrying white flags in an apparent attempt to cross to safety.
They were told to go back by Israeli border guards. A humanitarian worker in Quneitra said the situation at the camps has been difficult, with no toilets and limited medical supplies.
“The people from the camps were approaching the fence … to seek protection because the bombardment was very close,” he said. “The truth is that people sought refuge with the Israelis to protect them from the [Syrian] regime’s violence.
“People were extremely nervous because most of them are opponents of the regime and have been surrounded from all sides. It was truly tragic and frightening.” Another aid worker, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said that on the day the civilians fled towards the Golan Heights, there was intense bombardment in the region.
“There was a major attack by warplanes. The numbers in Quneitra were very large, and the humanitarian situation was very difficult.
“There are no homes, people were staying in tents, and they were lucky if they found tents.”
South-west Syria is of vital importance to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and not only strategically. Backed by Russian forces, the army hoisted the national flag in the city of Deraa this month, a deeply symbolic victory as it was there that the pro-democracy uprising first erupted in 2011 before a bloody response by security forces turned it into a war.
The displaced are trapped at the edges of this corner of Syria, where three countries meet. Jordan, to the south, says it already hosts more than a million displaced people and cannot accommodate any more.
Israel, too, has said it will not allow any refugees to cross, despite urgent calls by humanitarian agencies saying their safety is at risk. Part of its refusal is an unwillingness to tip a demographic balance in a majority Jewish state, where about a fifth of the population is Arab.
“We will continue defending our borders, we will provide humanitarian aid as best as we can, we will not allow entry to our territories,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this month.