<h2>Introduction:</h2>Arguably a basic requirement for life,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/water-and-sanitation/about-water-and-sanitation">access to water</a> is plainly protected under international human rights law; “<a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/water-and-sanitation/about-water-and-sanitation">the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights</a>.”&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2025/04/24/the-imperative-to-protect-water-and-water-systems-during-armed-conflict/">Legal protections</a> for this essential resource are also extended under circumstances of armed conflict. Absent their becoming legitimate military objectives, international humanitarian law requires warring parties to protect water resources as both&nbsp;<a href="https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule9">civilian objects</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule54">objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population</a>. Water resources and related ecosystems may also be protected as part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule43">natural environment</a>. If provisions protecting water resources are violated, those responsible may become subject to prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity.It is nevertheless a reality of conflict that peoples’ access to water is impacted and restricted. Consequently, a truly fundamental resource instead functions as a&nbsp;<a href="https://climateandsecurity.org/2023/06/water-weaponization-its-forms-its-use-in-the-russia-ukraine-war-and-what-to-do-about-it/">weapon of war</a>: restrictions on access to water have threatened the lives and livelihoods in impacted communities, led to the displacement of impacted communities, and been leveraged to generate revenue or gains for warring parties at the expense of impacted communities (e.g., by imposing certain conditions for access to water).In this joint investigation by Syrian Archive and <a href="https://www.verify-sy.com/ar">Verify</a>, patterns and examples of targeting water from the start of the Syrian conflict in March 2011 through the end of December 2025 are examined and analysed. The investigation team documented 1,160 water-related incidents involving various controlling forces: the Assad government, the Islamic State, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Syrian opposition; as well as incidents involving Israeli forces during the period from 8 December 2024 to 31 December 2025. The nature of these incidents ranged from cutting off water supplies or shelling and attacking water facilities, to clashes in their vicinity and the stationing of forces within them, as well as the use of water for flooding of land, and water poisoning or contamination.The investigation team compiled, preserved and analysed datasets of open source records related to those 1160 incidents, and selected seven incidents for in-depth investigation to serve as case studies of the main identified patterns.<h2>Water: a Bargaining Chip and a Weapon of War throughout the Syrian Conflict:</h2>Based on a dataset of 433 incidents, the investigation team identified 14 different types of incidents related to water and water facilities by all controlling parties across various regions and governorates of Syria.&nbsp;This part of the investigation includes six case studies as follows:<ul><li>The Islamic State’s bombing of the water tower in the village of Mazra’at Al-Rafqa, northwest of Raqqa, on 30 April 2017.</li><li>The shelling of the Al-Kilani power plant, most likely by Russian forces, shutting down the nearby Ain Al-Zarqa water treatment plant,&nbsp;on 15 October 2024.</li><li>Artillery shelling of Al-Hisha Water Station in Raqqa by Syrian military factions affiliated with Turkish forces and/or Turkish forces, on 11 January 2022.</li><li>The SDF’s Militarization of the Al-Sabha Water Station in the Eastern Deir ez-Zor Countryside, 15 September 2022.</li><li>Assad regime forces stationed at the Al-Houla Water Authority, August 2013.</li><li>Assad regime snipers stationed at a water tower in rural Damascus on 23 December 2011.&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>Water: a bargaining chip and a weapon of war - Southern Syria case study</h2>Based on a dataset of 727 incidents of ground incursions in southern Syria attributed to Israeli forces, where water and/or water resources were impacted through:<ul><li>Establishing military presence in the vicinity of water facilities, or</li><li>Damage to water networks and/or wells</li><li>Restricting access of local residents to drinking irrigation water, and the subsequent impact in terms of population displacement,&nbsp;the degradation of land, and the shrinking of pastures, thus threatening livestock.</li></ul>Additionally this part of the investigation includes a case study of Al-Mantra Dam, the largest and most important dam in Quneitra. The case study examines incidents of Israeli forces restricting access to the dam, patrolling the surrounding area, as well as stationing at or in the vicinity of the dam.&nbsp; Download and read the full investigation in <a href="https://cms.syrianarchive.org/uploads/Syrian_Archive_Verify_Water_a_bargaining_chip_and_a_weapon_of_war_En_final_6a9854f8ca.pdf">English </a>or <a href="https://cms.syrianarchive.org/uploads/Syrian_Archive_Verify_Water_a_bargaining_chip_and_a_weapon_of_war_Ar_final_6a58ac0308.pdf">Arabic</a>.

Water: a bargaining chip and a weapon of war

small_cover water main.jpg

thumbnail_cover water main.jpg

INVESTIGATIONS

Water: a bargaining chip and a weapon of war

Table Of Contents

.css-68jq5d{padding-bottom:1.45rem;color:#ffffff;-webkit-transition:0.25s;transition:0.25s;}.css-68jq5d:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}INVESTIGATIONS

Water: a bargaining chip and a weapon of war

Table Of Contents

INVESTIGATIONS