There has been quite a bit of disquiet in southwestern Syria after the December regime change, which was followed by a ground invasion from Israel. Israel started by seizing the demilitarized zone between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights but has increasingly moved beyond that into the Quneitra and Daraa Governorates.
Today that situation is growing even more complex for people living under Israeli occupation, as IDF troops raided the villages of Abdeen and Ma’rbah in the Yarmouk Basin of Daraa Governorate. Those villages are outside the demilitarized zone, and not far from the Jordan border.
Israeli troops reportedly captured a young man on the outskirts of Abdeen and seized his cell phone. They ultimately released him after using his phone to make threatening phone calls to villagers, warning their homes would be raided if they didn’t hand over any weapons they own.
To make matters worse, Israeli troops told the villagers in Ma’rbah, which is south of Abdeen and right along the Syria-Jordan border, to stop all construction work on new homes and to preserve all official documentation of their families.
In addition to this, there were reports of Israel shelling areas of Daraa Governorate, also in the Yarmouk Basin. There were no casualties reported in this shelling, which was the first in the area in three months.
North of Daraa, in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes against Syrian military tanks. The tanks were reportedly heading to the Military Operations Administration of the new Syrian government when Israel started attacking them.
In neighboring Quneitra Governorate, there were reports that Israeli forces advanced into multiple villages on Tuesday. The villages were inside the demilitarized zone, and the offensive came amid the expected UN peacekeeper arrival into the area. No explicit reason for the new Israeli advances was given.
Adding to concerns about this being a new long-term Israeli occupation, satellite images have emerged earlier this week showing Israel is in the process of constructing seven new military outposts inside Syrian territory. Six of the seven outposts are inside the demilitarized zone, with the seventh in Kwdana (known as Tel Kudna by Israelis) which is in Quneitra Governorate just east of the zone.
