Israeli army shells Syria’s Quneitra countryside, raids village

The Israeli army shelled parts of the countryside of Quneitra in southwestern Syria on Thursday morning and carried out a raid in a village where two young men were detained, violating the country’s territory, according to Alikhbariah TV.

The broadcaster reported that Israeli forces fired three shells that landed between the village of al-Hurriya and the town of Jabata al-Khashab in the northern Quneitra countryside.

In a separate incident, Israeli forces carried out raid and search operations after advancing into the village of Saida al-Golan in the southern Quneitra countryside, detaining a young man, the channel added.

The broadcaster also reported that Israeli forces detained another young man north of the village of Kodna after raiding his home during a midnight incursion into the area.

The latest Israeli violations came despite earlier remarks by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa that negotiations with Israel had not reached a dead end but were facing difficulties over Israel’s insistence on maintaining a military presence on Syrian territory.

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, Israel declared the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and moved to occupy the buffer zone along the frontier.

Despite the new Syrian administration not issuing threats toward Israel, Israeli forces have carried out airstrikes in Syria since Assad’s ouster, killing civilians and targeting military sites, equipment, and ammunition.