Israeli artillery strike hits cemetery in southern Syria

ISTANBUL

Israeli artillery fire struck a cemetery in Syria’s southern Quneitra province, the Syrian Civil Defense said on Wednesday.

Two shells hit the village of Al-Samdaniyah late Tuesday, the organization said in a statement on Telegram.

Civil defense teams inspected the site and confirmed the shells landed inside the village cemetery, without causing civilian injuries, the statement said.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces detained a young man while advancing into the Quneitra countryside as he was herding sheep west of Abu Madhra Farm.

Israeli artillery also targeted agricultural land near Al-Samdaniyah with three shells and fired two additional shells at land between the villages of Maariya and Abidin in the western Daraa countryside.

The attacks came despite the announcement on Jan. 6 of a US-supervised communication mechanism between Syria and Israel aimed at coordinating information-sharing, reducing military escalation, advancing diplomatic engagement and exploring trade opportunities.

The Israeli military continues near-daily artillery strikes and ground incursions into Syrian territory, particularly in the Quneitra and Daraa countryside.

Israel has occupied most of Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967. Following the ouster of President Bashar Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, Israel declared the 1974 disengagement agreement collapsed and moved into the Syrian buffer zone.

Syrians say continued Israeli actions hamper efforts to restore stability and undermine government attempts to attract investment to improve economic conditions.

*Writing by Lina Altawell