Israeli forces violate Syria sovereignty with renewed Quneitra incursion

The Israeli army on Monday carried out another set of raids in southern Syria’s Quneitra in its latest violation of the country’s sovereignty.

Israeli forces and armed vehicles stormed the area in the morning and made their way towards the western side of the Saida al-Hanout village in the southern Quneitra countryside, Syria’s SANA news agency said.

The agency said that an Israeli military force consisting of three vehicles stationed itself in the village, along with a drone that flew over to monitor the area.

The Israeli military also moved two tanks from the Burj checkpoint in Quneitra towards the Hamidiya one in the governorate’s northern countryside.

"The occupation force, accompanied by two Humvees and two armored personnel carriers, ascended to the top of Abu Qubays hill, located on the outskirts of the village of Ain Ziwan in the southern Quneitra countryside," it added.

Israeli forces have escalated provocations in Quneitra in recent days, with Syrians reporting the destruction of hundreds of acres of forest, the uprooting of agricultural land, the arrest of civilians, and the establishment of military checkpoints.

The raid came two days after Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, commander of the Israeli army's Northern Command, visited troops along the border with Syria and Lebanon.

Milo stressed "the importance of readiness" on the borders, stating that "forces are on high defensive alert and prepared for developments on both the Syrian and Lebanese fronts".

"We cannot wait for an enemy attack; we must act preemptively. We will not allow any threat to take root near our borders, and we will continue to work to prevent attacks on civilians in Israel before threats escalate," he told soldiers.

The Israeli military commander’s visit came after an army assault on the town of Beit Jinn in southern Syria killed 14 people, including children.

The attack exacerbated the fragile security situation in Syria’s south, as drones continued to fly overhead after the attack, while more victims are believed to be buried under rubble.

In recent months, meetings between Syria and Israel have been held in an effort to reach a security arrangement that would see the Israeli military withdraw from the Syrian buffer zone it invaded and occupied in December 2024 following the fall of the Assad regime.

The move was decried as a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz, however, said in November that Tel Aviv "was not moving towards" a path of peace with Damascus, claiming that Yemen’s Houthi group is active in the country.

He said the Israeli army is "preparing for scenarios in which Syrian forces, or various militias within the country, attempt to attack Israeli communities" as well as the Syrian Druze community, which it claims to defend.

Israel has been accused of exploiting sectarian tensions in Syria with its support for the Druze population in a bid to accelerate its Greater Israel expansionist ambitions.