ISTANBUL

Israeli army forces raided a village in the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria on Wednesday and carried out excavation works in the area, according to local media.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that Israeli forces advanced into the Al-Hamidiyah village backed by heavy engineering equipment, including two drilling machines, a bulldozer, and a truck.

Israeli soldiers conducted excavation operations inside a site where Israeli troops have been stationed for about six months, in violation of Syrian sovereignty, the outlet said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army or the Syrian authorities on the media report.

In recent months, the Israeli army has staged several cross-border raids into Syria’s southern provinces, including Quneitra, despite international calls for halting violations of Syria’s sovereignty.

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 the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.