In a bizarre military incident, Israeli troops operating in Syria were implicated in the theft and smuggling of approximately 250 goats belonging to Syrian farmers, according to reports from Israel’s Channel 12. The network, citing police authorities, revealed that the operation occurred two weeks ago when a battalion from the Golan Brigade identified the herd during operations in Syrian territory.
The soldiers reportedly utilized pre-arranged trucks to transport the stolen livestock across the border into Israeli territory before ultimately distributing them to various farms within illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank. The unusual military operation came to light when residents of the occupied Golan Heights discovered dozens of unidentified goats wandering through local streets the following morning.
Following an internal investigation prompted by these discoveries, the Israeli military implemented disciplinary measures including the dismissal of the team commander, formal reprimand of the company commander, and temporary suspension of the entire involved team. Current reports indicate approximately 200 of the stolen goats remain unaccounted for, roaming without identification or vaccination in Israel and the West Bank, while the remainder are believed to be scattered within Syrian territory.
This incident occurs against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing occupation of Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967, a status repeatedly condemned under international law. The situation further escalated in December 2024 when Israel expanded its territorial control following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government, seizing the entire UN-patrolled buffer zone that previously separated Israeli and Syrian forces.
According to Syrian authorities, Israel has conducted over 1,000 airstrikes and more than 400 ground incursions into Syrian territory since these developments, significantly heightening regional tensions.