Israeli forces arrest 5 Syrians in southern Quneitra countryside

Israeli army forces arrested five Syrian youths on Sunday in the southern countryside of Quneitra, in a new violation of the country's sovereignty, official media reported.

The state-run Alikhbariyah TV said Israeli forces detained the five, hailing from Daraa, while they were in the village of Kudna in southern Quneitra to search for wild mushrooms on agricultural land.

Israeli forces have carried out near-daily incursions in southern Syria in recent weeks, particularly in Quneitra province, conducting arrests, setting up checkpoints, and destroying forested areas, actions that have fueled growing local anger toward Israel.

Israeli forces have repeatedly entered Syrian territory and launched airstrikes, killing civilians and destroying Syrian military sites, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition.

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.