On Sunday, Israeli forces penetrated the areas of the Quneitra and Daraa countryside in southern Syria, and carried out razing operations of agricultural lands and erected military checkpoints, while local residents said that Israeli forces uprooted hundreds of trees and closed roads linking villages, preventing farmers and shepherds from reaching their lands.
Local sources said that an Israeli patrol consisting of three tanks and three military vehicles penetrated west of the town of Sidon Golan in the southern Quneitra countryside, where the tanks destroyed trees belonging to a farmer and caused damage to his agricultural property.
On Sunday, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned in the “strongest terms” the escalation of Israeli incursions into the Quneitra Governorate and the Daraa countryside during the past days, coinciding with the “intensification of the flights of helicopters, reconnaissance and military aircraft” in the airspace of southern Syria.
The Ministry said, in a statement, that these movements constitute a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a threat to the security of citizens, considering that their continuation undermines the chances of achieving stability and hinders reconstruction and recovery efforts.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to stop what it described as Israeli violations, and to oblige Israel to comply with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
The official Syrian news agency, SANA, reported that an Israeli force consisting of a tank and several military vehicles penetrated west of Al-Hanout farm in the southern countryside of Quneitra, and began to bulldoze lands planted with olive trees.
In the western countryside of Daraa, the Syrian Observatory said that an Israeli patrol entered the Al-Aqrabiyah area, located between the villages of Abdeen and Jumla in the Yarmouk Basin, and established a military checkpoint in the area.
SANA reported that the checkpoint impeded the movement of residents, before Israeli forces withdrew from the area.
In another development, SANA and the Syrian Observatory reported that Israeli forces released on Sunday two young men whom they had detained on Saturday while they were working in the olive fields around the village of Taranja in the northern countryside of Quneitra.
The Syrian Observatory reported earlier that Israeli forces carried out bulldozing operations in Al-Hamriyah Hill near the village, and warned residents and farmers against approaching the area, coinciding with the flight of Israeli drones over the governorate’s airspace.
In testimonies from the village of Taranja in the Quneitra countryside, to the “Middle East Diaries” program via the BBC, local residents said that Israeli forces bulldozed large areas of agricultural land, uprooted olive, apple and cherry trees, and erected earth berms that prevented people from reaching their lands.
A resident said that an Israeli force consisting of several vehicles and a bulldozer entered the area and began leveling agricultural lands, estimating the affected area at between 200 and 300 dunums.
He added that Israeli forces prevented residents from approaching a new military site on Hamriya Hill, and closed the road between the villages of Taranja and Hadar with dirt barriers, preventing farmers from reaching their lands.
Another eyewitness said that about 200 dunams of land planted with olive, apple, and cherry trees were bulldozed, noting that these lands constitute a major source of livelihood for the village residents.
He added that Israeli forces erected dirt barriers and prevented livestock owners from accessing grazing areas, in addition to restricting the movement of farmers.
He said that these measures deprive the people of their sources of income and make their daily lives more difficult, noting that their suffering is increasing as the Israeli incursions continue.
In a third testimony, a resident of Taranja said that an Israeli military patrol bulldozed areas of agricultural land, uprooted fruit trees, and set up checkpoints at which passers-by were searched, which sparked fear among residents.
It was not possible to independently verify the size of the affected land according to estimates provided by residents.
These developments come after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights announced, on October 9, that it had documented about 280 incidents of armed Israeli incursion into Syrian territory during last September, which is the highest monthly number it has recorded since the beginning of the year.
The Commission said that the Israeli operations included raids on homes, imposing restrictions on the movement of residents, detaining people, and destroying their sources of livelihood.
She added that the information available to her indicates that at least 49 Syrians are still being detained by Israel, although she is unable to independently verify the total number of detainees.
A United Nations investigation committee warned in September, according to Reuters, that some Israeli operations in southern Syria, including the detention of civilians, may amount to war crimes.
The committee said that the Israeli military presence has become more established in the region, with continued incursions, patrols, raids and inspections that affect the lives of civilians.
On the other hand, the Israeli mission in Geneva told Reuters that Israel does not aspire to control Syrian territory, and that its presence in a temporary buffer zone is to protect its citizens from security threats.
Damascus confirms the continued validity of the disengagement agreement
