Israeli forces advance in Quneitra, in latest violation of Syria’s sovereignty

Israeli forces on Saturday advanced into several towns and villages in Syria's southwestern Quneitra province, establishing checkpoints and searching residents before withdrawing after several hours, Syrian state media said.

The state news agency SANA said 10 Israeli military vehicles left the Tel Ahmar base and moved toward the Bariqa-Kudna road, where troops set up a checkpoint.

Another convoy of 10 vehicles reportedly raided the village of Ruwayhina and continued toward Rasm al-Halabi in central Quneitra.

According to SANA, five Israeli military vehicles entered the southern town of Al-Rafid from Al-Hiran via the Al-Asha crossing early in the morning, proceeding to the Al-Jala crossing.

The outlet said that an Israeli patrol, supported by two tanks, advanced from Al-Adnaniyah toward Ruwayhina, with the tanks taking up positions on the village's outskirts.

The troops later pulled back from all areas they had entered in both central and southern Quneitra, the agency added.

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 the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.

Israel also launched hundreds of airstrikes that targeted military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems, and air defense installations, according to reports.