Israeli forces have intensified their violations during their occupation in southern Syria’s Quneitra countryside, carrying out raids on civilian homes, schools and infrastructure in what residents and officials describe as a pattern of escalating violations of Syrian sovereignty and international law.
On June 15, an Israeli military unit stormed a school at dawn in the village of Hurriya, in Quneitra’s northern countryside. According to a local news reporter, soldiers destroyed doors and vandalized the interior of the building before retreating to their posts along the border. The incident followed a series of similar raids, including the June 12 incursion into the town of Beit Jinn in western Damascus countryside, where a young man was killed and seven others were abducted by Israeli forces.
That same week, on Monday, four Israeli military vehicles entered Al-Samadania Al-Sharqiya village in southern Quneitra. While no shots were fired, the soldiers carried out home searches. The reasons and outcomes of the operation remain unknown, as reported by the Horan Free League (HFL), a local monitoring group.
Near-Daily Raids Disrupt Life
The frequency of Israeli military activity in the region has left residents on edge. A day before the school raid in Hurriya, troops detained two children playing football at a local school in the nearby town of Kodna, accusing them of “photographing military positions.”
Local sources in Jaba and other villages across Quneitra’s central region reported home raids and the destruction of a solar-powered water well near Kodna. “They shot at the solar panels that supply water to our community,” one resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “We are losing access to basic needs, and no one is being held accountable.”
Residents say Israeli forces now regularly set up temporary checkpoints, search civilians, confiscate phones and destroy farmland. According to Syria TV, 15 homes were demolished between the night of June 16 and morning of June 17 in Al-Hamidiyah—reportedly for being “too close” to a new Israeli military post—further fueling accusations of collective punishment and displacement.
International Condemnation Mounts
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, speaking last month alongside his Turkish and Jordanian counterparts in Ankara, condemned the continued violations. “Our borders are subject to constant violations by Israel,” al-Shaibani said. “These airstrikes and incursions are not about defense—they are about destabilizing Syria.”
The UN and other international organizations have condemned the repeated Israeli incursions, including strikes on both civilian areas and military sites.
Despite these condemnations, Israel has neither acknowledged the recent operations nor provided any official explanation. With each passing week, the pattern of raids and detentions continues, raising concerns about long-term instability and the erosion of Syrian territorial integrity in the border regions.
