The Internal Security Forces in the Hama Governorate in central Syria were able to contain the security tension that the city of Suqaylabiya witnessed on the night of Saturday-Sunday, due to a quarrel that broke out between young men from the city and others from the neighboring city of Qalaat al-Madiq, both in the Al-Ghab Plain. The Hama Media Directorate said that “all those involved in the quarrel were arrested, in preparation for their referral to the competent judicial authorities.”
On Saturday evening, Suqaylabiya witnessed a quarrel between young men from Qalaat al-Madiq and a shop owner following a verbal altercation, after which young men from Suqaylabiya intervened to support the store owner and attacked a café in the city owned by a resident of Qalaat al-Madiq.
In a corresponding reaction, a “frightened” group of young men riding motorcycles and equipped with individual weapons headed to the Suqaylabiyah market, smashed up shops and opened fire to intimidate, leading to a woman being superficially injured, after which the Internal Security Forces intervened to stop the tension and impose calm. According to local sources for Asharq Al-Awsat.
On Sunday morning, security forces were deployed in the city of Suqaylabiya, which has a Christian majority, with security reinforcements being sent to the nearby Qalaat al-Madiq and carrying out a security operation to arrest those suspected of participating in the attack.
Sources in Qalaat al-Madiq told Asharq Al-Awsat that civil efforts are being made in cooperation with the security authorities to contain tension and search for solutions to put an end to the recurrence of these incidents, noting that the security forces have summoned a number of suspects to investigate them. The sources, who declined to mention their names, said that the relationship between the people of the two cities has historically been “very excellent,” but that the friction is caused by young men who are ignorant of the customs and traditions of the people of Suqaylabiya.
The sources called for a solution to be found for “Al-Mishwar Street,” a main street in Al-Suqaylabiyah that attracts young people from both sides, pointing out that “in the Syrian situation it is easy to turn any ordinary quarrel into a security event,” because continuous incitement campaigns always make the conditions ready to explode a major tension left by the policies of the previous regime during the years of the popular revolution, when it used minority areas to station its forces and as launching pads for firing into the rebellious areas.
Al-Mishwar Street in Al-Suqaylabiyah is a gathering place for cafes and entertainment venues that families go to in the evening. During the past periods, it has witnessed cases of harassment of young women by expatriates from other areas, which led to igniting tensions, most notably on March 28, 2026.
The Hama Media Directorate reported the deployment of internal security forces in the two cities to control the situation and prevent any violations, calling on the people to rely on information issued by official sources, and not to “be drawn into rumors or malicious publications aimed at destabilizing civil peace.”
A number of Suqaylabiya residents met on Sunday with the director of the Al-Ghab region in the Hama countryside, Muhammad Al-Attal, to discuss measures to calm the situation and find solutions. Munther Hanna Khalouf told Asharq Al-Awsat that they asked the district director to be strict in enforcing the law to prevent the recurrence of incidents, while acknowledging that the young men from the “sons of Suqaylabiya” exaggerated their reaction and resorted to violence after the altercation that occurred on Saturday night, and they had to resort to the security forces before using violence.
He continued that this does not justify the attack by militants from Qalaat al-Madiq and the terrorization of civilians, in his opinion, adding that they received a promise from the director of the region to put an end to the violations and hold the guilty parties accountable, whoever they may be. Pointing out that 3 young men from Al-Suqaylabiyah and two young men from Qalaat Al-Madiq were immediately arrested, while continuing to pursue all suspects.
Khalouf attributed the repeated incidents of insecurity to several reasons, including the chaos of the proliferation of weapons and the widespread incitement within closed WhatsApp groups, including groups managed from abroad, in addition to the spread of ignorance and unemployment among “rebellious” youth whose enthusiasm quickly turns into time bombs that threaten societal stability. He stressed that the solution is to impose the law without laxity, because the traditional means of “twirling mustaches” used by the authorities and notables are no longer useful in preventing the recurrence of violations.
For his part, Father Fadi Sankari, in a post on Facebook, condemned what his parishioners were exposed to in Suqaylabiyah, and said that Christians in Syria “do not want chaos or revenge, but we do not accept that our children live under fear or that the tragedy of devastation that we knew before be repeated.”
The Christian cleric stressed that “uncontrolled weapons cannot be a substitute for the state of law,” stressing that the demands are security and justice, not revenge.
He also called on parishioners “not to be drawn into violence, to prevent bloodshed that does not restore a home or protect a future.”
On Monday, Israeli forces began work on the “Sufa 53” line project in the lands of the southern sector of the countryside of Quneitra Governorate, located in the Syrian buffer zone adjacent to the occupied Golan, after completing it in the northern and central sectors, and seizing thousands of acres of agricultural land.
This comes in the context of the occupation’s escalation of its attacks, incursions, and violations of Syrian territory in the Quneitra and Daraa governorates, which supervise the ceasefire line, which have increased their frequency and become almost daily since the overthrow of the previous regime, in late 2024.
A government source in the southern sector of Quneitra Governorate stated that vehicles affiliated with the occupation forces began this morning drilling operations in the area west of the village of Al-Asha in the Al-Rafid region, as well as in what is known as “Point 80” of the United Nations Forces (UNDOF), charged with monitoring the ceasefire line with Israel, within the framework of completing the implementation of the “Sufa 53” line project.
The source explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that the implementation of the “Sufa 53” line in the southern sector of Quneitra, which includes a large number of villages, including (Al-Mu’allaqa, Al-Mashida, Al-Zaaroura, Al-Ramthananiyah, Al-Razaniyah, Abu Mazhara, Ain Al-Qadi, and Al-Asha), will result in the occupation seizing more than 1,000 dunums of the people’s agricultural lands, and then cutting off their source of livelihood.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned, in a statement on Sunday, the continuing violations committed by the Israeli occupation against Syrian lands, the latest of which is the completion of work on the so-called “Suva Line 53,” considering this a violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement and a violation of international legitimacy resolutions.
It stressed that the continued aggressive approach of the Israeli occupation, and the accompanying attacks and field incursions, represents a direct threat to regional security and stability, and undermines the provisions of international law. The Ministry called on the international community to take deterrent measures to put an end to these practices and prevent their recurrence. Syria reiterated its adherence to its legitimate right to exercise its full sovereignty over all of its territories, in accordance with the principles of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, calling on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities in preserving the sovereignty of states and respecting the sanctity of their borders.
“Suva 53” line project
The start of implementation of the “Sufa 53” line project in the lands of the southern sector of the Quneitra countryside comes after the Israeli occupation completed the project in the northern and central sectors of the governorate in November 2022.
According to local sources, the implementation of the project in the town of Bir Ajam and the villages of Ruwayhina, Zubaida, and Bariqa in the central sector resulted in the occupation seizing 4,000 dunums of local property, while 8-10,000 dunums were seized from the lands of the town of Jabatha al-Khashab alone in the northern sector.
In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, the director of the Information Directorate in Quneitra, Muhammad Al-Saeed, stated that the “Sufa 53” line project aims to impose a fait accompli on the Israeli occupation and change the geographical and security features in the Syrian buffer zone adjacent to the disengagement line.
Al-Saeed believed that the Israeli escalation in southern Syria and its high pace is “not exceptional,” explaining that the occupation, since the liberation of Syria from the previous regime about two years ago, has escalated its incursions and violations of Syrian lands. He believed that the current escalation carried out by the occupation forces may be related to the upcoming Israeli elections, the imposition of new facts on the ground, or changing the rules of engagement in order to change the rules of negotiations and the rules of the 1974 agreement.
For your information, the Israeli occupation began implementing the “Sufa 53” line project in mid-2022 within the buffer zone on the Syrian side, and it is adjacent to the disengagement line that was established under the 1974 agreement. The line extends over a length of 70 kilometers from the outskirts of the town of Hadar towards the villages of Jabatha al-Khashab, al-Hamidiyah in the northern countryside of Quneitra, al-Qahtaniyah, Ruwayhinah, Bir Ajam, Buraiqa in the central countryside, and al-Asha in the south of the governorate, Reaching the Yarmouk Basin area in the western countryside of Daraa.
The project is based on constructing a road 8 meters wide, fortified with dirt barriers 5 meters high, and equipped with observation points and trenches along its path, under the pretext of preventing any potential threat from Iran and its arms in the region, according to what was reported by Israeli media sources.
A journalist from Quneitra explained that the Israeli occupation’s work to complete the implementation of what it calls the “Sufa 53” line in the Al-Rafid area comes in the context of its ongoing violations of Syrian territory since the overthrow of the previous regime, which aims to escalate pressure on the Syrian government in order to sign a security agreement with Damascus in accordance with the Israeli vision, and to ignore the issue of the occupied Golan in the future.
The journalist, who declined to reveal his name for security reasons, explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that what Israel is doing also aims to impose restrictions on the people, as this project will deprive livestock herders of grazing their herds and farmers of their lands, in a policy that aims to depopulate the region.
The Israeli army is preparing for a long-term stay through logistical measures inside Lebanese territory that include fortified sites and a road network, in addition to expanding the burned areas in southern Lebanon located north of the “yellow line.”
The bombing range expanded deep into Lebanon, to Wadi Zibqin in the western sector, and the vicinity of the town of Mifdoun in the eastern sector, in an indication of the increase in the area of uninhabited areas, according to what local sources in the south say, and this is done “through bullet sweeps, artillery shelling, air strikes, and flying marches.”
This expansion is due to operational challenges reported by the Israeli media, the most prominent of which are explosive drones guided by fiber optics. The Ynet website stated in a report that the Israeli army has not yet reached a comprehensive solution to deal with these marches, while it is testing different systems and focusing on protection, early detection, and warning.
Logistical equipment
The measures taken by the Israeli army do not reflect any indications that its forces will withdraw from southern Lebanon in the foreseeable future. Ynet reported that the Israeli army is “preparing fortified sites and improving access to them, despite the end of the mission of the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade and the handing over of its sites to alternative forces.”
According to the report, the brigade completed about 100 days of mobilization, including 80 days of operations in Lebanon, focused on the area extending between the border and what the Israeli army calls the “yellow line,” reaching a depth of about 12 kilometers.
Ynet reported that forces from the Bislamakh Brigade and the Giffen Battalion of the Officers' Course are replacing the 55th Brigade, and are carrying out training and improving positions that allow them to monitor and control areas in depth with fire.
The website quoted Israeli security officials as saying that the soldiers will reside during the winter in protected compounds inside the villages, after the buildings were equipped during the summer with electric generators, air conditioners, and sanitary facilities, in addition to preparing transportation routes in advance.
The report indicated Israeli fears that limiting the deployment line to security would lead to a decline in readiness and increase the possibility of targeting forces in southern Lebanon.
The second line of villages
In addition to the equipment in fixed military sites created by the Israeli army since next May, the number of which has reached 17 new sites, according to what security sources in the south told Asharq Al-Awsat, the Israeli army is expanding the circle of fire to the second line of villages adjacent to the “yellow line”, with the aim of turning them into areas devoid of residents, and turning them into dangerous areas.
Local sources said that the Israeli army “intensified combing operations and artillery shelling” in recent days, in addition to the continuous flight of marches. She explained that the bombing “extends the outskirts of the villages of the second line of the border, such as Wadi Zebqin in the western sector, and the town of Mifidoun, located southeast of the city of Nabatieh,” a town whose residents still reside, and some of its displaced people have returned to it in the past three months.
Raids and artillery shelling
In addition, the official Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes launched a raid on the town of Kafr Tibnit, after the area between the towns of Arnoun and Kafr Tbnit was subjected to artillery shelling. The vicinity of the public school in Al-Baydar neighborhood in the town of Mifidoun and Doha Kfar Rumman were also subjected to Israeli artillery shelling, which the agency described as “violent and focused,” and it also affected the outskirts of the towns of Haris and Hadatha in the central sector. A Merkava tank targeted the town of Hula with a number of shells, and the outskirts of the town of Shaqra in the Bint Jbeil district were subjected to Israeli bombing.
The artillery shelling targeted Horsh Kunine, and a series of raids shook Kafr Tibnit and Wadi al-Hujair, the echoes of which were heard in the city of Sidon and its environs.
In the western sector, the town of Al-Mansouri was subjected to intermittent artillery shelling by the Israeli army in Al-Bayyada and Tayr Harfa, south of Tyre. The bombing extended to Wadi Hassan on the outskirts of Majdal Zoun. The Israeli army carried out a violent bombing in Al-Mansouri, the repercussions of which reached Mount Lebanon, which was preceded by an explosion on the outskirts of the town of Baraashit in the Bint Jbeil district. It was also reported that a suspicious object left over from the Israeli aggression exploded on the outskirts of the town of Srifa.
Casualties among Israeli soldiers
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced, on Sunday, that an officer and a regular soldier were injured in the town of Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon, on Friday, “after throwing a bomb improperly.” The soldier’s wounds were described as serious and the officer’s wounds were moderate.
The soldier and officer were transferred to Rambam Hospital in Haifa, and the Israeli army announced that it was investigating the circumstances of the event.
Also on Friday, 8 Israeli soldiers were injured in a “separate incident” in southern Lebanon. According to the Israeli army, it resulted from a collision between two vehicles, and the soldiers were taken to a hospital, and the Israeli army opened an investigation into this “accident.”
