Israeli forces launched new artillery strikes against the Quneitra Governorate in southwestern Syria today, with strikes reported near the town of Tal al-Ahmar al-Sharqi, though there were no casualties confirmed.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), this marks 53 distinct Israeli attacks on southwest Syria so far in 2026. This included four airstrikes and 49 attacks by ground forces. Overall, five people have been killed.
Israel’s recent operations have been almost exclusively in the Quneitra Governorate and in the far western part of the Daraa Governorate. The Daraa incidents have grown enough that the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) seems to be taking an interest.
Israeli military vehicles along the frontier with Syria | Image from SOHR
UNDOF deployments have been reported around the Yarmouk River Basin in western Daraa, particularly around the village of Abdeen. This is adjacent to the villages of Jamlah and Maariyah, which Israel has recently moved against.
UNDOF forces were previously centered around the demilitarized zone between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights. At the end of 2024, Israeli forces invaded and occupied the demilitarized zone, following the ouster of the Assad government. Since then their presence has been inconsistent around the area.
Most Israeli operations into Syria have not amounted to direct attacks, and generally are either the brief establishments of military checkpoints along rural roads, or raiding a village and detaining a handful of civilians. There have been a growing number of such incidents in recent months.
