Syria condemns Israeli excavation work near occupied Golan Heights

Syria strongly condemned on Sunday Israeli excavation work near a separation line with the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, calling it a “flagrant breach” of the 1974 disengagement agreement.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry denounced work on the project known as “Sofa 53,” as Israeli forces resumed excavations west of al-Asha village in the countryside of the southern Quneitra province.

The ministry described the work as part of continuing Israeli violations in the buffer zone covered by the disengagement agreement.

“The continuation of the Israeli occupation’s aggressive approach, accompanied by attacks and incursions on the ground, poses a direct threat to regional security and stability and undermines international law,” the ministry warned.

It urged the international community to take deterrent measures to halt such practices and prevent their recurrence.

The ministry also reaffirmed Syria’s right to exercise full sovereignty over all its territory under international law and relevant UN resolutions, calling on the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities to protect state sovereignty and respect borders.

According to Syria’s Al-Ikhbariya television channel, the project involves excavation and construction of a military road along the separation line within the buffer zone.

Israel began working on the project, also referred to as the “Great Storm” or “Sofa 53,” in mid-2022 near Hader in northern Quneitra, before extending it through Jabata al-Khashab, al-Hamidiyah, al-Qahtaniyah, Ruweihina, Bir Ajam and Bariqa.

Its route continues south through al-Asha toward the point where the Syrian, Jordanian and Israeli boundaries meet.

As part of the project, the Israeli army built a military road approximately 8 meters wide, flanked by earth berms reaching around 5 meters in height, according to the Syrian broadcaster.

It also established observation posts and military positions along the route adjacent to the ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights.

Syrian accounts indicate that Israeli forces have advanced between 300 and 1,000 meters beyond the ceasefire line, with military construction accelerating in late 2024, particularly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Residents previously told Anadolu that the project’s expansion had rendered thousands of dunams of agricultural land in rural Quneitra unsuitable for farming and grazing, while disrupting water flows and altering the area’s natural landscape.

Since Assad’s fall on Dec. 8, 2024, Israel has expanded its military operations in Syria, moving troops into the Golan buffer zone and nearby positions.

​​​​​​​Syria demands the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the areas they occupied and maintains its commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement. Israel claims its movements are driven by security considerations.