Israel on Monday continued its incursions into southern Syria, with a force reaching Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside, around 50 kilometres from the centre of Damascus.
Youssef al-Musleh, an activist in southern Syria, told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that Israeli forces took control of Tal Bat al-Warda in Mount Hermon and continued to advance towards Beit Jinn. Israeli troops were deployed into the town and fired into the air.
Al-Musleh added that Israeli forces also entered the town of al-Rafid in the Quneitra countryside on Sunday evening, setting up a checkpoint at the town's eastern entrance.
Another Israeli force withdrew from the town of Brega, also in the Quneitra countryside, after entering for around two hours on Sunday. The army also raided the village of Ain al-Abd.
In a statement on Sunday, the Israeli army said that the 474th Golani Brigade, led by the 210th Division, carried out several raids to "seize weapons, arrest suspects, and interrogate them".
Israel has carried out near-daily incursions into Syria, entering the villages and towns of Kodna, al-Asha, al-Rafid, Taranja and Jubata al-Khashab, bulldozing land and creating trenches, according to local monitors.
It has also launched hundreds of strikes on military sites following Bashar al-Assad's overthrow in December, claiming at the time it wanted to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities it considers jihadists.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the demilitarisation of southern Syria.