Key facts
- Israeli forces briefly entered the Syrian village of al-Samdaniyah in Quneitra.
- A temporary checkpoint was established, and passersby were searched before Israeli troops withdrew.
- This incident follows a similar incursion into al-Asha village two days prior.
- Syrian state television condemned the action as a violation of sovereignty.
- Residents in Abdin reportedly resisted an Israeli military incursion with stones, leading to warning shots and artillery fire.
Israeli forces conducted brief incursions into Syrian villages in the Quneitra governorate on Saturday and in the preceding days, establishing temporary checkpoints and searching residents. Syrian state media condemned these actions as violations of national sovereignty.
According to Sana news agency, three Israeli army vehicles entered the village of al-Samdaniyah, set up a temporary checkpoint, searched passersby, and later withdrew. This followed a similar operation two days earlier where over 15 Israeli army vehicles entered al-Asha village, searched a house and warehouse, and then withdrew.
Syrian state television reported that Israeli forces advanced into the Quneitra area and set up two military checkpoints in the villages of Ain Ziwan and al-Ajraf, using five military vehicles for the Ain Ziwan checkpoint. Syrian state television denounced the incursion as another violation of the nation’s sovereignty.
For months, Israeli forces have conducted near-daily incursions into southern Syria, particularly in Quneitra, involving arrests, checkpoint establishment, and land bulldozing, which has led to public anger. Dozens of Syrians protested these actions in the city of al-Salam, condemning the repeated Israeli violations.
Following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement void and has since conducted air raids, ground incursions, reconnaissance flights, and established checkpoints. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that Israel had conducted over 1,000 air attacks and more than 400 ground incursions since al-Assad's overthrow.
In the town of Abdin, residents reportedly blocked roads with rocks and threw stones at an Israeli military patrol. Israeli troops responded with warning shots and artillery rounds, causing most residents to flee. Israeli officials have indicated plans to occupy the UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria indefinitely.