Israeli ground troops launched a new incursion into the southwestern Quneitra Governorate in Syria on Tuesday, raiding the Ain Zivan and capturing a local man before withdrawing. The IDF has yet to comment on the operation, and the fate of the captive remains uncertain.
This raid early on Tuesday followed a flurry of operations on Monday in which Israeli troops fired artillery and mortar rounds against Quneitra and Daraa Governorates. The strikes largely hit farmland and forests in the border areas.
On Sunday, Israeli troops also launched an incursion into the Yarmouk Basin of Daraa Governorate. While there, the troops opened fire on a shepherd in the area of Wadi al-Ruqad, injuring him. The UNDOF reported that they provided first aid for the shepherd before taking him to a hospital.
Israeli troops overlooking southwest Syrian territory | Image from SOHR
As is often the case, the IDF made no official statements about any of their incursions into Syrian territory, nor explanations as to why they shot a shepherd and later captured another local in a village in Quneitra.
Israel invaded Syria in December of 2024, and seized the demilitarized zone which was meant to be under UNDOF observation between Syria and Israeli-occupied Golan. The IDF has insisted they intend to keep the demilitarized zone and has demanded Syria create an entirely new such zone encompassing the southwest of the country that they haven’t occupied.
Israeli forces regularly launch incursions into Quneitra and Daraa Governorates, often setting up checkpoints and harassing locals. Operations where Israeli troops shoot someone, as they did Sunday, are much more unusual, and even more unusual still is the IDF not commenting at all on the incident.
