While focus on Israel’s military operations tends to be on Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, operations have quietly continued in southwest Syria, where Israeli troops continue to regularly enter Quneitra Governorate on patrol, setting up checkpoints and harassing locals.
A force of eight IDF military vehicles also deployed into Daraa Governorate over the past 24 hours, setting up operations near the main bridge in al-Raqqad Valley. Exactly what the intentions of the deployment are remain unclear.
A similar deployment was reported in al-Rafid, in Quneitra earlier on Wednesday, where IDF troops entered the village on what were described as “reconnaissance operations.” No clashes or detentions of locals were reported.
A convoy of IDF troops advances into Daraa Governorate | Image from SOHR
Locals in northern Quneitra have been complaining recently that the construction of fortifications by the IDF military inside Syrian territory is causing increasing damage to their farmland, largely because the earthen barricades are being built up on the farmland itself.
Syrian state media complained that the IDF operations amount to a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two countries, which of course is true, but is increasingly irrelevant as Israel actively invaded Quneitra in December 2024 and has been operating ever-deeper into the country.
The Israeli operations in Quneitra have given the impression of intention for a more or less permanent presence as well, because while they’re not occupying the towns and villages in Syria, they are establishing military sites within the territory that show no signs of being temporary.
