Israeli troops continue to expand their presence in southwestern Syria, with more and more military incursions and the establishment of yet further military outposts on Syrian soil, despite active negotiations with the Syrian government that are meant to see a return to the 1974 agreement.
The latest target in the incursions was al-Hamidiyah, in the Quneitra Governorate, where they entered an old military site with heavy equipment, and began carrying out excavation on the compound, apparently expanding it for further IDF use.
The IDF had a presence at the al-Hamidiyah site for around six months, but it was relatively small. It’s still not clear how much of an expansion these new excavations represent.
Israel invaded Syria in December, following the ouster of the Assad government. In the ensuing six months, they set up 10 military outposts inside seized Syrian territory. That number has now expanded to 19, with efforts to increase the size and scale of those sites.
Israeli forces on Tuesday also crossed the border and raided the village of Bariqa, though they withdrew shortly thereafter. They also reported stopped a civilian bus in the northern part of Quneitra and captured a young man who was on board. They ultimately released him shortly thereafter.
The increase of Israeli military presence within Syria adds further complexity to the negotiations attempting to return to the situation that prevailed on the Syria-Israel frontier from 1974-2024, though it is noteworthy that the IDF has largely not directly occupied Syrian towns and villages in the area, but just raids them occasionally to hassle the locals.
The lack of direct occupation would make it theoretically easier to roll back this occupation if a deal was reached. At the same time, Israel expanding their bases in the territory suggests they aren’t anticipating leaving any time soon.
