Israel widening attacks on Syria to evade Gaza accountability, says Sharaa

Israeli forces carried out new incursions in southwest Syria on Saturday as President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Tel Aviv was seeking to export its crises to his country.

Speaking at the Doha Forum in the Qatari capital, Sharaa accused Israel of trying to escape accountability for what it is doing in Gaza.

In December last year, shortly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Israel claimed that the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria was no longer valid and sent troops across the demilitarised buffer zone separating the occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria.

It has since captured parts of the Quneitra province and the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, while carrying out repeated airstrikes on Syria as well as cross-border raids and ground incursions.

Tel Aviv has made unverified claims that several Islamist groups are still active in southern Syria and pose a threat to Israel’s security.

"Israel is exporting its crises to other countries, seeking to evade responsibility for the massacres it is committing in the Gaza Strip and justifying everything under the pretext of security concerns, while Syria - since its liberation - has sent positive messages aimed at establishing the foundations of regional stability," said Sharaa.

"Israel has responded to Syria with extreme violence, launching more than 1,000 airstrikes and carrying out 400 incursions into Syrian territory. The latest of these attacks was the massacre in the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside," he said, referring to a 28 November strike that killed 14 people — the deadliest escalation since Israel began seizing territory.

"We are working with influential countries worldwide to pressure Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied after December 8, 2024, and all countries support this demand. Syria insists on Israel's adherence to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement," he added.

Direct talks between Israeli and Syrian officials to reach a security deal have failed to yield results, as Tel Aviv insists on a demilitarised southern Syria.

The new authorities in Damascus have accused Israel of exploiting the transitional period and the weakened condition of state institutions to expand its operations deeper into Syrian territory.

"The demand for a demilitarised zone raises many questions. Who will protect this zone if there is no Syrian army presence?" asked Sharaa. "Any agreement must guarantee Syria’s interests, as it is Syria that is subjected to Israeli attacks. So, who should be demanding a buffer zone and withdrawal?"

His comments came as an Israeli military patrol consisting of three tanks and five vehicles advanced onto a road connecting Beit Jinn in the Damascus province to the villages of Hader, Jubata al-Khashab, and Tranja in the Quneitra province, reported Syria’s state-run news agency SANA.

The agency added that Israeli forces fired sporadically into the air to intimidate shepherds and keep them away from the area. They also set up a checkpoint at the site and prevented passersby from crossing.

It comes after more incursions on Friday that saw the Israeli army advance into the towns of Saida al-Hanut, Bir Ajam, and Barqa in the southern Quneitra countryside.