Israeli soldiers arrested for allegedly stealing 250 goats from Syria

A group of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers have been accused of stealing nearly 250 goats from Syria and smuggling them to farms in the occupied West Bank.
A report by Israeli media outlet Channel 12 said that a battalion of the Golan Brigade operating in the Golan Heights carried out the incident during a raid inside Syria two weeks ago. They identified a herd of goats owned by Syrian farmers, brought them into Israeli territory, and then sent them by truck to farms located in illegal settlements in the West Bank.
After news of the illegal raid became known, the IDF said in a statement that the incident was carried out without permission from any higher authority. As a result, the squad commander involved has been dismissed from his post and the company commander has been severely reprimanded. The entire team has also been suspended for a long period.
The incident first came to light when local farmers in the Golan Heights saw dozens of goats wandering the streets. Investigations revealed that of the 250 goats that were smuggled, about 200 are currently inside Israel, unmarked or vaccinated. The rest are believed to be scattered across the Syrian border.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, Israeli forces have been deployed to nine military posts inside a buffer zone in southern Syria. Israel claims that it is conducting operations about 15 kilometers inside Syria to prevent dangerous weapons from falling into the enemy’s hands. However, such logistical and disciplined action by a part of the army raises serious questions about the IDF’s internal security and surveillance.

Source: Times of Israel