ISTANBUL
The Israeli army staged a new cross-border raid into southern Syria on Tuesday and blew up an abandoned military outpost, despite calls by US President Donald Trump for restraint.
Two Israeli tanks and 10 military vehicles raided the village of Samdaniya al-Sharqiya in the southern Quneitra countryside, the state-run TV channel Alikhbariya reported.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army or Syrian authorities on the report.
The new incursion came almost a day after the army conducted raids on two Syrian villages in Quneitra on Monday, in continuation of near-daily attacks on the country’s south for several months.
On Monday, Trump called for regional restraint.
“It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous state,” he said.
Trump praised Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, saying he is “working diligently” to ensure that “good things happen” for both countries.
“This is a historic opportunity ... for peace in the Middle East,” he said.
Syrian government data shows that since December 2024, Israel has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids into the southern provinces.
After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 agreement with Syria.