Israeli forces renew push into Syria’s Quneitra

Shafaq News – Quneitra

Israeli forces advanced into northern Quneitra, hours after staging limited incursions near the occupied Golan Heights, Syrian media reported on Sunday.

Syria’s Arab News Agency (SANA) said several Israeli armored vehicles and three tanks moved from the demolished Quneitra crossing toward Hadr, Trinjah, and eastern al-Samdaniyah, supported by helicopter cover along the ceasefire line.

Earlier, Shafaq News' correspondent reported Israeli troops conducting searches near the al-Salam Highway, detaining civilians, and seizing motorcycles. No clashes were reported.

Israel's military has not issued a statement, but Israeli media claimed that it has bolstered deployments to prevent infiltration by "Iran-backed groups" from Quneitra and Daraa.

Quneitra, which borders Lebanon, Jordan, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, has long been a front-line flashpoint. Israel captured the Golan in 1967 and annexed it in 1981, a move not recognized internationally. The 1974 disengagement accord established a UN-monitored buffer zone prohibiting heavy weaponry.

Since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, southern Syria has fragmented among armed groups and army remnants, while Israeli strikes on alleged Iranian-linked positions have intensified.

Read more: Israel's expansion in Syria: A looming threat to Iraq