As clashes resume in southern Syria, Israeli occupation forces approach Damascus

DAMASCUS, July 18 (YPA) – Israeli occupation forces penetrated Syrian territory in the Quneitra countryside and the southern Damascus countryside on Friday, in a significant development on the ground.

The occupation forces carried out a series of military operations, including demolishing civilian facilities, closing main roads, and warning residents to stay away from the border with the occupied Golan Heights.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, two Israeli four-wheel-drive military vehicles entered Syrian territory near the village of al-Rafid in the southern Quneitra countryside, approximately 300 meters from the border with the occupied Golan Heights.

Activists and local residents reported that Israeli occupation soldiers issued direct warnings to shepherds in the area, urging them to stay away from the border and preventing them from grazing their livestock near the security fence.

Concurrently with this incursion, four Israeli military vehicles were seen positioned at the al-Alam roundabout in Quneitra. The forces bulldozed the roundabout and demolished some of the surrounding pillars, in a symbolic move bearing sovereign connotations. This move coincided with the closure of the road leading to the western part of the governorate.

Israeli Incursion Near Damascus Raises Tension

In a more sensitive and dangerous development, the Druze-majority town of Qalaat Jandal, located in the Qatana area of the southern Damascus countryside, witnessed a surprise incursion by an Israeli force using several military vehicles accompanied by vehicles carrying soldiers. This marked one of the most dangerous Israeli ground operations near the Syrian capital.

Qalaat Jandal is of strategic importance due to its proximity to the geographic contact lines with the occupied Golan Heights, only about 35 kilometers from the capital, Damascus.

This rare incursion sparked a state of anticipation and tension among locals, especially in light of the recent escalation of Israeli activity along the separation strip and the heavy deployment of drones in Syrian airspace.

Field Escalation or Strategic Messages?

These movements come in the context of a clear escalation by Israeli occupation forces in southern Syria, coinciding with reports of increased activity by resistance factions near the border with the Golan Heights.

Observers believe that these incursions carry political and security dimensions that go beyond military messages, particularly with the repeated scenes of symbolic demolition and warnings to civilians. This reflects an Israeli desire to impose a new reality on the ground and expand the scope of psychological control in the contact zones, while testing Syrian and regional reactions.

Movements Under the Microscope

These field operations come at a time when the southern Syrian front has witnessed increased activity for months, including repeated airstrikes on sites in Damascus and its countryside, and intensive drone reconnaissance operations.

This indicates a new phase of multi-dimensional Israeli escalation against the forces of the Syrian Interim Government and its allies.

YPA