Arabic version: إسرائيل تطلق عملية عسكرية في منطقة القنيطرة السورية
According to Al Jazeera,
Dozens of Israeli military vehicles have staged an incursion into Syria’s southwestern Quneitra province in the Golan Heights, local media have reported, in yet another breach of the country’s sovereignty. Al-Ikhbariah TV said on Wednesday that a convoy of 30 vehicles entered the eastern Tel al-Ahmar area near the village of Ain Ziwan in Quneitra, where the Israeli army conducted a search operation.
Separately, the Sana news agency reported that Israeli forces reached near Bariqa village, also in Quneitra, and abducted a young Syrian man while he was tending his sheep. Additionally, three Israeli military vehicles temporarily penetrated the Abu Madharah farm during the same period.
Syria’s southern regions, including Quneitra, have long witnessed Israeli territorial violations, which have included sowing fear, detaining civilians, erecting checkpoints and gates, and destroying farmland. However, since the toppling of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, these incursions have reportedly become more brazen, violent, and frequent.
Israel has conducted multiple bombing raids across Syria and intervened in conflicts, such as last summer’s violence in Syria’s Suwayda, attacking Syrian forces. A tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) indicated that Israel launched an average of two attacks a day throughout 2025, totaling more than 600 air, drone, or artillery attacks across the country.
Quneitra is located in the Golan Heights, which the UN recognizes as part of Syria. Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers of the region during the Six-Day War in 1967. Following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, a disengagement agreement established a UN buffer zone separating Israeli-occupied territory from the Syrian-controlled area. However, since the fall of the al-Assad regime, Israel has pushed deeper into Syrian territory, occupying the buffer zone and establishing military checkpoints in the region.
The government in Damascus has reiterated its commitment to the 1974 agreement, asserting that continued Israeli violations hinder efforts to restore stability. Despite ongoing intermittent talks between Syria and Israel aimed at reaching a security agreement, officials maintain that a durable deal is contingent on Israel providing a clear timeline for the withdrawal of its troops from Syrian territory.
