Israeli forces stage new incursion into Syria’s Quneitra countryside

By Laith AL Junaidi and Tarek Chouiref

ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli troops briefly advanced into rural areas of Syria’s Quneitra province on Friday, setting up a temporary checkpoint before withdrawing, Syrian state media reported.

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said the forces entered the countryside of Quneitra in southwestern Syria earlier in the day, moving through several villages before pulling back.

According to the agency, troops crossed through the Abu Ghaithar area and proceeded toward villages in the southern part of the province, where they established a temporary checkpoint for a short period.

The troops later withdrew along the same route, SANA reported, without providing further details.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army or Syrian authorities on the new raids.

Israeli forces have been carrying out near-daily incursions into Syrian territory, particularly in Quneitra’s countryside, detaining civilians, setting up checkpoints, questioning passersby and destroying farmland.

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 agreement with Syria.