An Israeli agency dedicated to settlement expansion has reportedly acquired approximately 200 square kilometers of agricultural land in southern Syria, according to Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, marking what could be the most significant land acquisition in the region since Israel expanded its occupation of the Golan Heights in December.
The purchases, concentrated in the Yarmouk Basin bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, were reportedly conducted through individuals holding dual citizenship from Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, working with an organization identified as Bashan Pioneers. Turkish media outlet Harici reported that the sales have been recorded through official contracts, though the legal framework under which such transactions occurred remains unclear given Syria's ongoing political transition.
The scale is unprecedented. Two hundred square kilometers—roughly 200,000 dunams in the region's traditional land measurement—represents an area larger than many Israeli settlements combined. This didn't start yesterday: the Yarmouk Basin has been strategically valuable for decades, containing significant water resources that feed into the Jordan River system and some of the most fertile agricultural land in southwestern Syria.
According to Al-Akhbar's reporting, based on accounts from local sources in Deraa Governorate, the acquisitions were facilitated by what the newspaper described as "Jewish agencies" focused on settlement expansion. One Australian businessman reportedly purchased former Syrian military installations in the area, suggesting the land grab extends beyond agricultural parcels to strategic infrastructure.
The report has drawn no public response from Syria's interim government led by , which has been navigating a delicate relationship with since taking power following 's fall. Israeli forces have maintained positions well beyond the 1974 disengagement line since December, conducting what describes as temporary security operations but which regional observers increasingly view as permanent territorial expansion.
