Damascus, Syria – November 23, 2025 – Israeli military units conducted a ground incursion into Syria's southern Quneitra countryside on Saturday, deploying tanks and armored vehicles in what Syrian state media described as a flagrant violation of the nation’s sovereignty. The operation marked the latest in a series of aggressive probes that have intensified since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime nearly a year ago.
According to state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV, two Israeli tanks and two military vehicles advanced eastward from the western side of Tal al-Ahmar toward the eastern section of the site, a contested area near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Upon arrival, the forces hoisted the Israeli flag at the location before withdrawing to their starting point after approximately an hour.
This incursion was not isolated. A six-vehicle Israeli patrol entered the villages of Bir Ajam, Bariqa, and both the eastern and western flanks of Zubeida, conducting searches and inspections of civilian areas. In a parallel action, a separate group comprising three military vehicles raided the nearby villages of Ein Zivan and Abu Qubays, setting up temporary checkpoints and detaining passersby for questioning. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the patrols erected barriers on local roads, restricting access to farmlands and residential zones. Eyewitnesses in Bir Ajam described the vehicles as heavily armored Humvees equipped with mounted machine guns, with drones providing overhead reconnaissance.
As of Sunday evening, there had been no official comment from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) or the Syrian transitional authorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). However, Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Haitham Sukkari condemned the actions as “a dangerous escalation that undermines Syria’s fragile recovery,” calling for urgent intervention from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors the Golan buffer zone. The ministry emphasized that such incursions disrupt agricultural activities in a region already scarred by years of conflict, worsening food insecurity for thousands of displaced families.
The Quneitra countryside, a fertile strip abutting the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, has become a major flashpoint. Local residents reported that Israeli forces have advanced into private farmlands over the past month, bulldozing olive groves and wheat fields to clear lines of sight for observation posts. “They come at dawn, with tanks rumbling through our fields like thunder,” said one farmer from Bariqa, who estimated losses of over 200 acres in his village alone. Complaints have also mounted over the destruction of hundreds of acres of forests—vital for erosion control and local livelihoods—along with arbitrary arrests of young men suspected of ties to HTS or other militias. In the past week, at least four residents from Ein Zivan were detained during similar raids, with families alleging mistreatment and demands for ransoms.
These ground operations are part of a broader pattern of Israeli military activity that has surged since December 2024. The IDF has executed over 1,000 airstrikes and more than 400 cross-border raids into southern provinces like Quneitra and Daraa in the 11 months following Assad’s ouster. The airstrikes, often targeting alleged weapons depots or HTS positions, have destroyed key infrastructure, including airbases in Hama and Latakia, and neutralized much of Syria’s remaining air defense systems.
The root of this intensified activity traces back to the collapse of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024. After a lightning offensive by HTS and allied groups, opposition forces captured Damascus, forcing Assad to flee to Moscow. The 53-year Assad family dynasty, which had ruled since 1971, ended abruptly after a civil war that claimed over 500,000 lives and displaced millions. HTS leader al-Sharaa swiftly declared a transitional government, pledging inclusivity for Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities while committing to international norms.
In the ensuing power vacuum, Israel moved decisively. On December 8, hours after Assad’s fall, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered IDF units to seize the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights—a 266-square-kilometer strip established by the 1974 Disengagement Agreement to prevent hostilities after the Yom Kippur War. The agreement mandated that neither side deploy forces there, with UNDOF patrolling to ensure compliance. Israel, which annexed the Golan in 1981 (a move unrecognized internationally), argued that Syrian troops had abandoned positions, rendering the pact void until order was restored. By February 2025, the IDF had constructed at least nine permanent outposts, including two on Mount Hermon, the strategic high ground overlooking Damascus.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the occupation as a clear violation of the 1974 accord, urging Israel’s withdrawal and warning of risks to regional stability. The Security Council reaffirmed support for Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity. Yet Netanyahu has vowed the Golan will remain “part of Israel for eternity” and allocated millions for settlement expansion. Satellite imagery has revealed nine new military camps since December 2024, alongside the razing of 1,700 acres of farmland and ancient forests in Quneitra.
Syrian officials, including al-Sharaa, have reaffirmed commitment to the 1974 agreement and engaged in talks with Israel for a new security arrangement. In September 2025, al-Sharaa described Israeli actions as “very dangerous,” linking over 1,000 strikes and 400 raids to attempts at permanent annexation. Analysts warn that Israel’s strategic expansion exploits Syria’s transitional fragility, potentially reigniting sectarian strife and derailing reconstruction.
Regionally, Jordan’s King Abdullah II decried the incursions as a serious violation of international law, while Qatar labeled them a blatant attack on Syrian unity. Turkey, a key HTS backer, has mediated talks but faces pressure to respond militarily. In the United States, the Biden administration has urged restraint, with 2,000 troops in northeastern Syria monitoring ISIS remnants amid concerns over radicalization in HTS-run detention camps.
For Quneitra’s 25,000 residents—many Druze and Sunni farmers—the incursions evoke the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel first seized the Golan, displacing 130,000 Syrians. “We want peace, but not at the cost of our homes,” said a village elder in Abu Qubays. As winter approaches, with olive harvests ruined and checkpoints multiplying, the specter of renewed conflict looms large. UN envoy Geir Pedersen has called for immediate de-escalation, emphasizing that upholding international law is not optional. With Netanyahu eyeing indefinite occupation and al-Sharaa navigating a nascent government, Syria’s transitional chapter—born of hope in December 2024—now hangs in the balance amid the rumble of tanks on its southern frontier.
