DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL

The Israeli army launched a new cross-border raid into southern Syria’s Quneitra province on Saturday, in the latest violation of the country’s sovereignty.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), nine Israeli military vehicles moved from the Hamidiyah point and advanced toward the town of al-Hurriya, reaching the village of Ofania.

Another Israeli force, consisting of four military vehicles, advanced from the al-Burj point in the destroyed city of Quneitra toward the village of al-Samadaniyah, the outlet said.

According to SANA, Israeli forces set up a checkpoint at the site of the destroyed water tank between the towns of al-Ajraf and al-Samadaniyah in the southern countryside of Quneitra.

Damascus has repeatedly condemned Israel’s ongoing violations of its sovereignty, reaffirming its adherence to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement signed between the two countries – an agreement Israel declared null after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024.

Israeli incursions in Quneitra have recently intensified, with locals complaining of Tel Aviv’s advances into their farmland as well as the destruction of hundreds of acres of forests, arrests of residents, and the establishment of military checkpoints.

Although the current Damascus administration poses no threat to Israel, the Israeli army has repeatedly crossed into Syrian territory, carrying out airstrikes that killed civilians and destroyed military positions, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition belonging to the Syrian army.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa earlier said that the Israeli army has conducted more than 1,000 airstrikes and over 400 incursions since the overthrow of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, 2024.