“Israeli” Ground Push Deepens in Southern Quneitra Amid Arrests and Ongoing Violations

By Staff, Agencies

“Israeli” forces carried out a fresh ground incursion on Sunday, advancing tanks and military bulldozers into the village of al-Muallaqa in southern Quneitra, according to Syria’s state broadcaster. The move is part of a widening pattern of “Israeli” military activity across the governorate.

Earlier the same day, occupation troops detained a Syrian civilian while he was herding sheep along the road linking al-Rafid and al-Mashidda. Such detentions have become increasingly common, with recent incidents including the brief arrest of three young men from al-Hamidiyah and the detention of another shepherd in the same area.

Over recent weeks, “Israeli” patrols have also entered several neighboring villages, including Bariqa, Bir al-Ajam, Ain Ziwan, and Saida al-Hanut. Armored units set up temporary checkpoints and conducted searches in residential neighborhoods.

Local residents have rejected claims that these movements were humanitarian in nature, describing them instead as routine infringements of Syrian sovereignty. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has likewise documented near-constant incursions along the separation line and into the countryside of Quneitra.

The escalation is linked to a broader “Israeli” strategy that emerged after December 8, 2024, when the collapse of Syria’s previous administration left a security vacuum in the south. “Israeli” forces rapidly expanded their footprint, moving into areas designated as demilitarized under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and fortifying positions inside Syrian territory.

This expansion has been accompanied by symbolic acts of control, including a “Hanukkah” celebration by “Israeli” soldiers atop Jabal Al-Sheikh mountain [Mount “Hermon”], which observers see as an attempt to normalize the occupation of Arab land.

The military campaign has intensified alongside this territorial push. According to figures from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data [ACLED] project, “Israel” has carried out more than 600 attacks across Syria over the past year, averaging roughly two strikes per day.

Quneitra has borne the brunt of these operations, with at least 232 attacks recorded since the fall of the former government. Daraa follows with no fewer than 167 strikes, while the Damascus region has seen at least 77, including a high-profile attack on the Ministry of Defense building in the capital.

As tanks move into al-Muallaqa and new checkpoints spread across rural Quneitra, residents warn that “Israeli” military activity is becoming more frequent, more invasive, and more entrenched, unfolding in the absence of any effective international mechanism to halt the continuing violations of Syrian territory.