Daijiworld Media Network - Damascus
Damascus, Dec 20: Israeli forces have reportedly advanced further into the Quneitra region of Syria’s occupied Golan Heights, setting up two new military checkpoints in what Syrian authorities have described as a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty.
According to an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground, the Israeli military operation on Saturday targeted the villages of Ain Ziwan and al-Ajraf in southern Syria. Syrian state television said at least five Israeli military vehicles were used to establish a checkpoint in Ain Ziwan.
The latest move comes amid near-daily Israeli incursions into southern Syria over the past several months, particularly in the Quneitra governorate. These operations have reportedly included arrests, land bulldozing and the erection of checkpoints, sparking growing anger and unrest among local residents.
The incursion follows another advance by Israeli forces a day earlier towards the towns of al-Asha, Bir Ajam, Bariqa, Umm al-Azam and Ruwayhina in the southern Quneitra countryside, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
On Friday, dozens of Syrians staged protests in the city of al-Salam in Quneitra, condemning what they described as repeated Israeli attacks on civilians and their property. Protesters, under the banner “Syrians with Palestine”, carried placards denouncing Israel’s continued violations of Syrian land.
Despite a reported reduction in direct military threats, Israel has continued to carry out air raids across Syria, causing civilian casualties and damaging Syrian army installations. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) shows that Israel has launched over 600 air, drone and artillery attacks across Syria in the past year, averaging nearly two attacks a day.
Israeli military activity has intensified since the expansion of its occupation in southern Syria following the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. After Assad’s fall, Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement — which had established a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights — null and void, and has since advanced deeper into Syrian territory.
Citing Assad’s departure, Israel has maintained that the agreement no longer applies, while continuing air raids, ground incursions, reconnaissance flights, checkpoint operations and arrests of Syrian civilians. Syria has so far not responded militarily.
In September, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Israel had carried out more than 1,000 air strikes and over 400 ground incursions since Assad was overthrown, describing the actions as “very dangerous”.
Residents and officials in southern Syria believe the ongoing violations are obstructing efforts to restore stability in the region and are further undermining attempts to revive the local economy.