Israeli occupation forces have carried out a ground incursion into the countryside of Syria’s southwestern province of Quneitra, where they set up a temporary checkpoint and searched civilians and passing vehicles.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that a patrol of three Israeli military vehicles advanced along the road connecting the village of al-Hiran to nearby al-Rafid village in the southern countryside of Quneitra on Sunday.
Israeli troops established a checkpoint in the area to inspect passersby and vehicles.
The development came a day after Israeli forces mounted a similar incursion into the village of al-Ajraf in the northern countryside of Quneitra.
The occupation troops established a temporary checkpoint, searched civilians and installed a large surveillance camera before withdrawal from the area.
Another Israeli force also raided the Wadi al-Raqad area in the western countryside of Dara’a province on Saturday, establishing a temporary checkpoint at the Wadi al-Raqad Bridge and searching a residential house before pulling out without making any arrests.
Israeli military incursions and activities in southern Syria, along with harassment of local citizens, have become recurrent under the inaction of the ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime.
Following the downfall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in early December 2024, the Israeli military has been carrying out airstrikes on military installations, facilities, and arsenals that were once operated by the Syrian army.
Israel has been subject to extensive criticism for its decision to end the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria, capitalizing on the disorder in the conflict-stricken nation to gain territory.
The United Nations, in conjunction with various Arab countries, has denounced Israel’s actions as infringements of international law and violations of Syria’s sovereignty.
Despite the HTS’s commitments to collaborate with Tel Aviv, Israel has shown no inclination to retreat from Syria.
The two parties have engaged in intermittent discussions aimed at reaching a ‘security agreement’; however, no agreement or significant progress has been reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his military to advance further into Syrian territory, surpassing the Golan Heights occupied since 1967, and to capture multiple strategic sites.
