Direct negotiations between the Israel and Syrian governments continue, with report that the talks are “nearing completion” with Israel having assured Syria that it does not specifically support secessionist movements among the Syrian Druze population.
Interestingly that wasn’t meant to be the topic of the talks in the first place, which were rather intended to reestablish the 1974 status quo along the Israel-Syria frontier after Israel invaded Syria in December and has encroached deeper and deeper since.
The incursion continues apace, despite the ongoing talks, with two more incidents reported Wednesday of Israeli troops crossing into the Quneitra Governorate of Syria to establish checkpoints, one of them in the village of Beer Ajam.
The Bir al-Ajam checkpoint has reportedly involved Israeli troops searching civilians attempting to pass by. There have been no reports of any arrests in the operation, which comes just a day after Israeli vehicles constructed a new road leading to Beer Ajam.
Elsewhere in Quneitra later in the day, Israeli armored vehicles moved into the area between al-Samadaniyah and al-Ajraf and established another checkpoint there. It’s not clear if this checkpoint is intended to be permanent, as Israel has established other checkpoints in the area recently, but then withdrew a few hours later.
Israeli forces have been increasingly focused on the Quneitra Governorate of late, with growing concern that they are creating more and more military outposts within Syrian territory and trying to have de facto control over significant water sources in southwestern Syria.
Those are the issues that were meant to be addressed in the direct negotiations with Syria, and not only have those seemingly not been addressed so far, but Israeli actions suggest they have no intention of reversing course on their military operations on Syrian soil.
