Israeli forces continue to conduct raids and shelling in Syria’s southern Quneitra province. On Tuesday morning, a unit searched a house in the village of Brika before leaving the area. The previous evening, Israeli artillery fired three shells at an area between the town of Razzaniya and the village of Sayda al-Khanut; no casualties were reported.
In recent days, Israeli forces have also carried out a raid in the village of al-Asbah, shelled the outskirts of the town of al-Rafid with six rounds, and then deployed military equipment there. Two more shells were fired at an area west of the village of al-Mashaala, killing several sheep. These incidents indicate that the scale of Israeli operations in the province is expanding.
The escalation coincided with demonstrations by relatives of Syrian prisoners outside the headquarters of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the village of Nabaa al-Fawar. The protesters are demanding the release of more than 40 Syrians detained by Israel during raids in southern Syria that began in late 2024.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said Damascus continued to support a diplomatic settlement and was demanding a full return to the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement, the restoration of sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, and the right to establish a national army. Israel has controlled most of the Golan Heights since 1967. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government on December 8, 2024, it seized Syria’s buffer zone and positions on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, declaring the 1974 agreement null and void.
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Why does the UNDOF mission, deployed in the buffer zone on the Golan Heights, lack the authority to independently release Syrians detained by Israel or prevent such raids? — UNDOF is a UN peacekeeping mission established to monitor compliance with the ceasefire, not to compel the parties to act or conduct police operations. Its mandate is limited to monitoring the buffer zone, observing developments, and reporting to the UN Security Council. The mission has no authority to detain Israeli military personnel, release detainees, enter territory controlled by Israel, or use force except in narrowly defined cases of self-defense. Preventing raids and securing the release of detainees therefore require the parties’ consent or a separate decision by the Security Council.
How did the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement regulate the presence of Syrian and Israeli forces around Quneitra, and why was its validity called into question after the events of December 2024? — The agreement established a separation zone between Syrian and Israeli forces, patrolled by UNDOF, as well as restricted zones on both sides where limits were imposed on the number of troops, weapons, and military equipment. Quneitra and the surrounding areas remained under Syrian control, while Israel retained control of the rest of the Golan Heights it had occupied. In December 2024, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Israel sent troops into the demilitarized zone and seized positions near Quneitra, saying this was necessary to secure its border. This constituted a de facto violation of the agreed restrictions and cast doubt on the agreement’s continued viability, although it was not formally annulled.
Full version: Artillery Shelling and House Raids: New Israeli Attacks in the Quneitra Countryside