Israeli shelling hits rural areas of Daraa, Quneitra in southern Syria

ISTANBUL

Israeli forces shelled rural areas in southern Syria on Thursday, targeting parts of the western Daraa and northern Quneitra provinces, without causing casualties, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The report said Israeli artillery struck the area between the villages of Abidin and Maariyah in western Daraa with three shells that landed in open land between the two villages.

In a separate incident, Israeli forces fired three artillery shells at agricultural land on the outskirts of the town of Jabata al-Khashab in northern Quneitra province, it said.

No injuries were reported.

The developments came despite an agreement reached with Syria and Israel on Jan. 6 to establish a US-supervised communication mechanism to coordinate information sharing, reduce military escalation, engage diplomatically and explore trade opportunities.

Israeli forces have been carrying out near-daily incursions into Syrian territory, particularly in the Quneitra countryside, detaining civilians, setting up checkpoints, questioning those passing through and destroying farmland.

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 disengagement agreement.

Syrians have said the continued Israeli violations are undermining efforts to restore stability and are hindering government attempts to attract investment to improve the country’s economic conditions.