The Israeli army has seized more than 10 water sources in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to strengthen its water security and use water cards as political pressure on its opponents. The water crisis is one of the problems facing the Syrian population, because due to the war and conflict in recent years, the country’s water infrastructure has deteriorated. In addition, the drought wave has led to a depletion of water resources and the backwardness of the agricultural sector, which is the source of livelihood for a large part of the population. The Israelites’ concern for water is not only a political issue, but also has religious roots. Moreover, since the establishment of the State of Israel, Jewish leaders have been calling for the annexation of water-rich areas.
“Water Resources in Syria”
Syria has abundant water resources because it has seven basins; Euphrates and Aleppo, Tigris and Khabur, Badiya and Aasi, coastal basin, Barada, Awaj basin, and Yarmouk basin. Sixteen rivers and their tributaries flow through Syria, five of which are shared internationally: the Euphrates, the Tigris, the Aasi, the Yarmouk and the Great South, in addition to nine lakes. River flows account for about 75 percent of the country’s total regulated water resources, and more than 45 percent of Syria’s water resources are usable. Syria’s total water resources are estimated at between 18,209 and 16,375 billion cubic meters per year. While the average surface water supply is estimated to be about ten billion cubic meters, the average renewable groundwater is also estimated to be about six billion cubic meters.
Although seemingly Syria appears to be a country rich in water resources, the facts indicate that Syria suffers from extreme water poverty. According to a study published by the international humanitarian organization “Action against Hunger” in 2020, water security indicators in Syria are increasingly dangerous, to the extent that by 2050 more than 15 million people in Syria will not have access to clean water cubic feet. Meanwhile, a World Bank study published in April 2023, indicates that by the end of this decade, the amount of water available per capita per year will fall below the absolute water scarcity level of 500 cubic meters per person per year it must be.
According to a report released by the Israeli Information Center for Climate Change Preparedness, Syria’s population is expected to increase by 60 percent to 33 million by the shortage of drinking water in most major cities and towns in Syria is expected to lead to massive chaos and mass migration from towns to cities, in addition to millions of people are expected to migrate to Turkey, Lebanon and Israel. In another part of the report, Israel predicts the spread of diseases such as cholera due to the water crisis, as well as wars over water resources in the Middle East.
“Occupation of Water Resources”
The Golan Heights, occupied by Israel for more than half a century, provide about one-third of the region’s fresh water. In addition to the Golan Heights, since December 7, 2024, Israel has entered many areas of southern Syria, controlling the entire strategic heights of the Golan Heights, which is considered the most important source of water supply for the Golan Heights and surrounding areas. Because the water sources of many rivers flow from there, such as Hasbani, Banias, Ladan and Jordan, in addition to exposure to strategic water sources in Mount al-Sheikh, which provides water to a large area of the Damascus Rif and areas west and south of the capital. Israeli forces are currently in the western city of Dar’a, including the Yarmouk Basin. Israel aims to take full control of the basin’s tributaries, which supply water to agricultural land and the main source of drinking water for millions of people in Suwayda, Dar’a and northern Jordan.
One of the most prominent dams seized by Israel is the Mantara Dam, the source of water in the southern Syrian province of Quneitra, about 50 kilometers southwest of the capital Damascus. The occupation of the dam means the loss of 30-40 percent of Syria’s water resources and 40 percent of Jordan’s water supply. In addition to the Mantara dam, Israel has seized the Ruwayhina, Kodna, Ghadir al-Bustan and Ruqad bridges. There are three other dams on the tributaries of the Raqqad River in the east: Shabrak, Sahm Golan and Abdin it is under Israeli control on the Lebanese border and extends to the Yarmouk River Valley near Jordan in the south.
