The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented at least nine ground incursions carried out by Israeli occupation forces in areas of Quneitra governorate between March 5 and March 14, 2025. Israeli occupation forces entered these areas without any prior announcement, sparking a state of anxiety and concern among local residents. These incursions are the latest in a series of repeated Israeli military operations aimed at imposing a new security reality through ground raids that threaten the local population.
The incursions involved Israeli military units, some supported by heavy machinery, engaging in various practices, most notably: arresting/detaining an individual, setting up temporary military checkpoints, and compelling local residents to fill out surveys regarding regional needs and humanitarian aid reception.
Areas targeted by the incursions
- Beer Ajam town (residential neighborhoods).
- The vicinity of Koudana town and Koudna Water Dam.
- Majdouliya town (various neighborhoods).
- Rasm al-Halabi: The forces targeted an abandoned military barracks that had been vacant since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024.
- The vicinity of al-Ma’allaqa town.
- Al-Hanout village: Israeli occupation forces entered residential areas and forcibly collected survey responses from residents.
- Koudana village: Israeli occupation forces advanced into al-Fityan farm area. We recorded the arrest/detention of Qusai Manhall al-Ali on March 11. He was taken to an undisclosed location. Al-Ali is a resident of Koudana village.
- An abandoned military outpost of the 90th Brigade: Israeli occupation forces advanced from the border strip toward the village of al-Samdaniya, passing through Khan Arnaba town and reaching the abandoned 90th Brigade military outpost near al-Koum town, where they detonated military equipment and munitions.
- Jabata al-Khashab town: Israeli occupation forces entered the town and conducted searches under the pretext of looking for weapons.
Initial reports indicate that the Israeli incursion did not result in direct confrontations but caused fear and unrest among residents, amid concerns over escalating tensions in the area. The targeted areas are under the control of Syria’s transitional government and have been under civilian administration since the withdrawal of Iranian militias and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024.
This operation constitutes a blatant violation of the Syrian Arab Republic’s sovereignty and a breach of international law, including Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any member state, as well as the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel. The ongoing Israeli incursions into border areas pose a direct threat to civilian security and increase the likelihood of forced displacement or the imposition of unlawful military arrangements in the region.
SNHR calls on the UN and the international community to take urgent action to halt these repeated violations, ensure respect for Syria’s sovereignty, and protect civilians from practices that could lead to forced demographic changes or the establishment of a new occupation-based reality.
