Syrians set fire to Israeli aid in Quneitra countryside

Residents in southern Syria's Quneitra province set fire to Israeli-distributed aid on Monday morning, as growing anger over Israeli military incursions and alleged propaganda tactics sparked protests and injuries near the occupied Golan Heights.

On Monday morning, villagers in Al-Asha burned boxes of food supplies left by Israeli forces following a ground incursion into the town.

Syria's state-run broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya reported that "residents of the village ignited boxes containing food supplies distributed by Israeli forces during their raid on the town", and shared images of flames rising from the burning cartons of the Israeli aid. 

Footage circulated online showed a group of young men setting the boxes ablaze late Sunday night. One voice in the video declared that they rejected what they called "attempts by the occupation to win the sympathy of locals by offering assistance".

The Israeli forces had reportedly withdrawn from Al-Asha shortly after leaving the aid supplies near residential homes.

Quneitra has seen a string of such incursions in recent months. Residents say Israeli troops conducted house-to-house searches, intensifying friction in an area already inflamed by military activity along the Syrian-Israeli ceasefire line.

According to Syrian officials, Israel has been attempting to project itself as a humanitarian actor while continuing its occupation.

Damascus accused Tel Aviv of using "soft tools" such as aid distribution and medical evacuations to present itself as "a defender of minorities in Syria," especially among the Druze population. Syrian authorities warned that these "methods aim to entrench the occupation and justify its ongoing violations of Syrian sovereignty."

In a related episode, protests erupted in several villages in Quneitra province, including the town of Al-Sweisa. Local sources reported that three demonstrators were wounded by Israeli gunfire during the dispersal of one such protest.

At the same time, Israel continues to carry out regular airstrikes across Syrian territory. These have killed civilians and destroyed Syrian military assets, including vehicles and ammunition depots.

Despite this, the new Syrian administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa has not issued direct threats to Tel Aviv, opting instead for diplomatic statements demanding Israel cease its aggression and honour longstanding agreements.

Israel has occupied the majority of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967 and unilaterally annexed the territory in 1981, a move considered illegal under international law.

Damascus now claims Israel is exploiting the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement - signed to manage tensions after the Yom Kippur War - and using the power vacuum left by the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 to illegally expand its presence.

Israel has openly talked about splitting Syria along ethnic and sectarian lines, all the better to boost Tel Aviv's territorial aspirations and power in the region.

Syrian officials reiterated their stance that the country "poses no threat to neighbouring nations," but called on Israel to "end its continuous violations of Syrian sovereignty".