Israel raids villages in Syria’s Daraa and Quneitra
Shafaq News- Damascus
Israeli forces detained a Syrian civilian during a raid on the village of Maariya in the Yarmouk Basin area of southwestern Daraa province on Wednesday before releasing him several hours later, Syria’s state-run SANA reported.
An Israeli patrol also reportedly entered the village of Saida al-Golan in neighboring Quneitra province, searched several homes, and later withdrew. The movements coincided with heightened military alertness and surveillance drone flights over the area, raising tensions among residents, particularly in villages near the Alpha Line, the boundary between Israeli-occupied territory and the buffer zone.
Syrian state media accused Israel of repeatedly violating the 1974 disengagement agreement through incursions into southern Syria, including raids, arrests, and land-clearing operations.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented 620 Israeli ground incursions between December 2024 and February 2026, with Daraa and Quneitra recording the highest number of operations.
Damascus has repeatedly called for a full Israeli withdrawal from positions seized after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, describing the move as a prerequisite for future security negotiations. Israeli officials, however, maintain that their forces will remain in those areas for national security reasons.
Read more: Syria's shifting stance: Is normalization with Israel on the horizon?
