Israeli shelling, military incursion escalates tensions in southern Quneitra

Damascus, May 12 (YPA) – The southern countryside of Quneitra witnessed a new escalation following Israeli occupation’s shelling that targeted agricultural areas surrounding the village of Taranja with more than ten mortar rounds, alongside a military incursion into the town of Jabata al-Khashab, sparking concern among local residents.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the bombardment struck farmland near the village, though no immediate information was available regarding casualties or material damage. The shelling coincided with movements by the occupation forces inside Jabata al-Khashab.

The observatory reported that the occupation forces established a military checkpoint at the entrance of the town, deploying around twenty soldiers and several military vehicles amid heightened security measures and intensive aerial surveillance, raising fears among residents of a possible expansion of military operations in the border region.

The developments come as part of a series of repeated Israeli strikes and incursions in the countrysides of Quneitra, Daraa, and Damascus, amid growing warnings from rights groups over the impact of the escalation on civilians and the worsening instability in southern Syria.