French Journalist Silenced: Sylvain Mercadier Detained by Israeli Forces in Syria

Freelance journalist Sylvain Mercadier and his fixer, Mohammed al Fayyad, were detained for over four hours on January 8, 2025, by Israeli troops in the Hamidiyah village near Quneitra—a buffer zone in southern Syria recently occupied by the IDF. The pair were questioned, handcuffed, and blindfolded in what Mercadier described as an “humiliating” process, during which soldiers allegedly confiscated his SIM card, memory cards, and $200 from his fixer—claims the IDF denies.

Mercadier posted on X, recounting how they were “threatened and humiliated,” held in a local governorate building, and eventually abandoned on a desert road after the confiscation. This incident marks one in a string of recent confrontations: Reporters Without Borders affirmed the IDF’s actions and expressed concern over the weaponization of press credential inspections to intimidate journalists during coverage of expanding military operations in southern Syria.

According to the IDF, Mercadier and al Fayyad were near Israeli soldiers and crossed a restricted zone. After questioning, authorities returned their equipment and released them privately. But the journalist’s account contrasts starkly with this, describing physical intimidation and digital equipment seizure.

The incident raises serious concerns about the safety of journalists operating in volatile zones like the Golan buffer zone. Such tactics—closed-door detentions without due process in a militarized area—blur the lines between legitimate security measures and state intimidation of the press. Journalists reporting on IDF operations risk extortion and psychological stress, especially when operating in areas recently infiltrated by Israeli forces.

This detention echoes a broader pattern, including recent allegations that an IDF unit strip-searched and held BBC journalists at gunpoint while recording near Quneitra. With the ongoing occupation in southern Syria and increasing militarization, media observers warn that these coercive tactics may deter journalists from covering on-the-ground developments, threatening press freedom in the region.