Israeli forces bulldoze land during incursion into Syria’s Quneitra countryside

An Israeli force entered the village of Al-Rafid in the countryside of Syria’s Quneitra province on Tuesday and conducted bulldozing operations west of the village, according to Syria’s state news agency, SANA.

SANA reported that an Israeli military bulldozer advanced toward the village in southern Quneitra before conducting land-clearing operations in areas west of Al-Rafid.

Syrian authorities did not immediately respond to the incident, and the motives for the operations are still unclear.

The incident comes amid continued Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty, particularly in the south.

Israeli forces have carried out near-daily airstrikes and ground incursions in southern Syria, including setting up checkpoints, searching civilians, raiding homes and detaining residents, among them children and shepherds.

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, Israel declared the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two sides and occupied the Syrian buffer zone, while Damascus said it remained committed to the agreement.

Despite the new Syrian administration not issuing threats toward Israel, Israeli forces have continued launching airstrikes across Syria since Assad’s removal, killing civilians and destroying military sites, vehicles and ammunition.

*Writing by Sahin Demir in Istanbul