DAMASCUS: Israeli forces carried out fresh incursions into southern Syria on Saturday, detaining four people in Quneitra province and advancing into the western countryside of Daraa, in the latest incidents in a series of Israeli violations of Syrian territory and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
The operations involved military vehicles entering several areas of Quneitra, searches of civilian homes and the detention of people heading toward agricultural land, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.
In the northern Quneitra countryside, several Israeli military vehicles advanced west of the village of Taranja, detaining two people as they headed toward farmland west of the village, SANA reported.
In the southern countryside, a force of more than 10 military vehicles entered the areas of Al-Razzaniyah and Abu Madhra farms, searched several homes and detained two people. One of them was released after several hours before the force withdrew, the report said.
Separately, two Israeli military vehicles advanced into Wadi Al-Raqad in the western Daraa countryside as Israeli reconnaissance aircraft flew over the western Yarmouk Basin area.
The latest incursions followed an Israeli advance on Friday into an area west of Al-Razaniyah farm in Quneitra, where Israeli forces opened fire toward shepherds to prevent them from grazing their livestock before withdrawing.
Israeli forces also previously entered the town of Abdeen in the Yarmouk Basin area of western Daraa, surrounding the town, according to SANA.
The incidents are part of a continuing pattern of Israeli military activity inside southern Syria, including incursions into villages and agricultural areas, raids on civilian homes, detentions, land-clearing operations and shelling attacks.
Israel has also expanded earthworks along what it calls the “Sufa 53 Line” in Quneitra, drawing condemnation from several Arab countries over what they described as violations of Syrian sovereignty and international law.
Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait have condemned the project, which involves expanding earthen berms and digging trenches inside Syrian territory near the disengagement line. The countries called for international action to enforce the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and compel Israel to end its occupation of Syrian land.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry has said the construction and continued Israeli military operations violate the disengagement agreement and relevant international resolutions, warning that the actions threaten regional security and stability.
The 1974 agreement established a ceasefire and a UN-monitored area of separation between Israeli — and Syrian-controlled territory following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Syria has repeatedly demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from its territory, maintaining that Israeli measures there are null and void under international law. Damascus has also called on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities and take effective measures to compel Israel to withdraw fully from southern Syria.