Israeli troops steal 250 goats from Syria and smuggle them to occupied West Bank
Israeli troops in Syria stole a herd of around 250 goats and smuggled them into the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media.
Israel’s Channel 12, citing information from police authorities, said the incident took place two weeks ago.
According to the report, a battalion from the Golan Brigade, which operates in the occupied Golan Heights, was conducting an operation in Syria when it identified the herd belonging to Syrian farmers.
Soldiers reportedly loaded the goats on to trucks that appeared to have been prepared in advance, and initially brought them into Israeli territory.
They were later transported to a number of farms in illegal outposts in the West Bank.
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The Israeli military told Channel 12 that as a result of the incident, the commander of the team was dismissed from service, the company commander was reprimanded, and the entire team was suspended for a period of time.
The incident became known the morning after the smuggling took place when farmers in the occupied Golan Heights noticed dozens of goats wandering around the streets.
It was reported to the Israeli army, prompting an investigation.
About 200 goats are still reported to be roaming around, unmarked and unvaccinated, in Israel and the occupied West Bank, while the remainder are scattered inside Syria.
Israel, has occupied Syria’s Golan Heights in contravention of international law since 1967, and expanded its territory in southern Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.
That month, Israel seized all of a UN-patrolled buffer zone that had previously separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
Since then, Israel has carried out more than 1,000 air strikes on Syrian territory and more than 400 incursions into Syrian territory, according to Syrian authorities.
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