Israeli army forces detained two young Syrian men on Wednesday during an incursion into Quneitra province in southwestern Syria, in the latest violation of the country’s sovereignty.
Al-Ikhbariya TV said two Israeli patrols advanced into the farms of al-Basali and Umm al-Luqas in the southern Quneitra countryside, and detained the two youths.
Neither Damascus nor Tel Aviv has issued an official statement on the raid.
On Tuesday, Israeli army forces fired three artillery shells near a farmland in the village of Taranja in Quneitra countryside, after Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa issued a customs decree on Sunday evening banning the entry of Israeli goods into Syria.
The decree reaffirmed Damascus’ commitment to the Arab League’s “laws on boycotting Israel,” issued in the 1950s.
The Israeli army has violated Syria’s sovereignty daily, especially in the south, through shelling and incursions that include setting up checkpoints, searching passersby, raiding homes and detaining civilians, including children and shepherds.
Al Sharaa told Anadolu in an April 16 interview that he did not believe negotiations with Israel had reached a dead end, but said they were facing great difficulties because of Israel’s insistence on maintaining a presence on Syrian territory.
Israel has occupied most of Syria’s Golan Heights since the June 1967 war and expanded its occupation after the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime in late 2024.
On December 8 2024, Israel declared the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria void and occupied the Syrian buffer zone, while Damascus said it remained committed to the agreement.
Despite the new Syrian administration not issuing any threats towards Israel, Israeli forces have carried out air strikes in Syria since Assad’s ouster, killing civilians and targeting military sites, equipment and ammunition.
