Residents of Syrian Golan villages, rebels transfer Assad weapons to IDF - report

Syrian villagers and rebels near the buffer zone are handing over Assad's former weapons cache—including chemical warfare materials—to the IDF, marking a significant shift in regional dynamics.

IDF soldiers stand atop tanks in the Golan Heights near Israel's border with Syria. (photo credit: REUTERS)
IDF soldiers stand atop tanks in the Golan Heights near Israel's border with Syria.
(photo credit: REUTERS)

Villagers and rebels in the Syrian Golan and around the buffer zone have been transferring weapons from the previous regime to the IDF to be taken to Israel, N12 revealed in exclusive footage on Monday.

The footage shows residents of Syrian villages and rebels loading trucks with hundreds of boxes of ammunition, mortars, bombs, and grenades and transferring them to the IDF.

IDF soldiers told N12 that they found several weapons filled with chemical warfare material.

“You can see cheap grenades that were filled with chemical material, and they need to add a mechanism to activate them,” the soldiers explained. 

“There are boxes full of grenades with chemical materials that cause irritation and should not be touched directly.”

IDF SOLDIERS are on an armored personnel carrier, as one of them prays the morning service, along the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, this week.  (credit: Miro Maman/Reuters)
IDF SOLDIERS are on an armored personnel carrier, as one of them prays the morning service, along the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, this week. (credit: Miro Maman/Reuters)

Former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad had used chemical warfare to fight against rebel forces for years, and now that the rebels have taken control of these weapon stockpiles, they are being transferred to the IDF and making their way to Israel.

Defense Minister Israel Katz

According to N12, Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to prepare to maintain their presence in the Syrian buffer zone at least until the stabilization of the new regime in Syria.