In recent weeks, Israel has escalated its operations in southern Syria, making territorial gains in the Quneitra and Daraa regions while constructing a security fence. The Israeli government justifies these actions as measures to “prevent the infiltration of militants” into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. However, the Assad regime has made no meaningful efforts to repel these advances, even as Israeli tanks and bulldozers encroach upon Syrian territory.
According to Israeli media, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are establishing a security fence along the border to curb potential militant incursions. Last week, six Israeli Merkava tanks, accompanied by military bulldozers, crossed the border near the town of Kodna in the Quneitra countryside. The IDF seized agricultural lands, bulldozed fields, and constructed a barbed wire fence along a newly paved road, known as Sufa 53. Trenches as deep as seven meters were also dug, and military observation points were established at regular intervals along the fence.
The Assad regime, however, has remained largely silent in the face of this Israeli incursion. Despite Israeli forces operating mere meters from regime military positions, no attempt was made to counter the occupation. Local sources confirmed the IDF’s activities, including the destruction of olive groves and the annexation of agricultural land. According to the Houran League, a local website, the Assad regime did nothing to confront the Israeli forces, raising questions about the regime’s priorities.
Regime-controlled media has denied Israeli activities in the region. Al-Watan, a pro-regime newspaper, dismissed reports of Israeli incursions as “psychological warfare” orchestrated by “foreign adversaries.” The Governor of Quneitra, Moataz Abu Al-Nasr Jamran, visited the town of Kodna to deny the claims, asserting that life in the region remained “normal.” Similar denials came from other regime officials, including Khaled Abaza, a Baath Party figure, who claimed that all reports of Israeli movement were baseless.
However, these denials have done little to convince observers. Such denials are seen as a deliberate attempt to deflect attention from its inaction. Some analysts believe the regime’s silence may indicate an unspoken understanding between Damascus and Tel Aviv, or simply a reluctance to engage Israel militarily given the regime’s overstretched forces.
Instead of responding to Israel’s advances in the Golan, the Assad regime has focused its military efforts north toward the liberated areas. Regime forces, alongside Iranian-backed militias, including Hezbollah, have been redeployed to northern Syria, targeting Syrian civilians and revolutionary factions. Despite Assad’s claims of being part of the “Axis of Resistance” against Israel, these actions suggest a divergence from anti-Israeli rhetoric.
The shift in focus towards Free Syria, rather than defending the nation’s borders, has raised concerns about the Assad regime’s true priorities. Iranian militias, while nominally part of the anti-Israel coalition, have played a critical role in Assad’s internal campaign to regain control over freed areas, particularly in Idlib and the liberated northern territories. Hezbollah, too, has focused on securing territory for Assad, and their own projects, rather than directly confronting Israel in the Golan Heights.
Turkish President Erdogan voiced his concerns about Israel’s actions in southern Syria, issuing a stern warning about the potential regional impact. Erdogan criticized Israel for what he described as “an expansionist policy aimed at reaching Damascus.”
“Israel’s occupation of Damascus will tear up the entire map of Syria,” he declared, emphasizing that such actions would pose “a serious threat to regional stability.” He also warned that if Israeli forces reached northern Syria, it would bring them closer to Turkey’s borders, a development he said would not be tolerated by Ankara.
