--- title: "How Israel is spraying herbicides on Syrian crops" description: "CBRNe World provides those tasked with defending against CBRN and IED threats with the essential practical, scientific and political information. Access the current and previous issues of the magazine by registering as a member." url: "https://cbrneworld.com/news/how-israel-is-spraying-herbicides-on-syrian-crops" date: "2026-07-30T21:11:45+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- # How Israel is spraying herbicides on Syrian crops [Zoe Rutherford](#) Author 13 March 2026 Originally published by France24 Israeli planes sprayed chemicals on farmland in Quneitra, Syria in late January and early February, 2026. Farmers say that their crops yellowed and died in just a few days and that they lost dozens of hectares of farmland. There have been similar reports of the Israeli Army spraying fields in southern Lebanon and of Israeli settlers doing the same in the West Bank. Several photos and videos sent to the FRANCE 24 Observers team show [Israeli](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/israel/) planes flying at a low altitude over agricultural zones in the governorate of Quneitra in southern [Syria](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/syria/). 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](https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250115-despite-israel-s-threatening-presence-syrians-in-golan-refuse-to-leave-in-exchange-for-peace), which marks the border between Syria and the Israeli-occupied [Golan Heights](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/golan-heights/). Syria’s [Ministry of Agriculture reported ](https://www.facebook.com/AlekhbariahSY/posts/pfbid02v8RTRt2FSNF7WuucRPfxdJkx2VbsydxhZE2nvJMzmx3hGuVWFew6K9vb6be8CGsyl)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](https://www.i24news.tv/he/news/news/defense-news/artc-6a5145ce) on February 2 that the [Israeli army was spraying herbicides](https://x.com/inon_yttach/status/2018387406597095593) 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](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/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](https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/the-debate/20251208-a-new-syria-one-year-after-the-fall-of-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. There is far more to this report, which can be read here ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "News", "item": "https://cbrneworld.com/news" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "How Israel is spraying herbicides on Syrian crops", "item": "https://cbrneworld.com/news/how-israel-is-spraying-herbicides-on-syrian-crops" } ] } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "NewsArticle", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://cbrneworld.com/news/how-israel-is-spraying-herbicides-on-syrian-crops" }, "headline": "How Israel is spraying herbicides on Syrian crops", "description": "Originally published by France24 Israeli planes sprayed chemicals on farmland in Quneitra, Syria in late January and early February, 2026. Farmers say that their crops yellowed and died in just a few days and that they lost dozens of hectares of farmland. There have been similar reports of the Israeli Army spraying fields in southern Lebanon and of Israeli settlers doing the same in the West Bank.  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. 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.  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.   There is far more to this report, which can be read here https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20260218-israel-spraying-herbicides-syrian-crops ", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://cbrneworld.com/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "CBRNe World Magazine", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://cbrneworld.com/images/default/Asset%201.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zoe Rutherford", "url": "https://cbrneworld.com/news/how-israel-is-spraying-herbicides-on-syrian-crops" }, "datePublished": "2026-03-13T11:52:08+00:00", "dateCreated": "2026-03-13T11:52:08+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-03-13T11:52:08+00:00" } ```