Quneitra, June 28 (SANA) Israeli violations in Syria’s southwestern Quneitra province have intensified since the country’s liberation, leaving growing humanitarian, economic and security consequences for residents through repeated military incursions, arrests, attacks on civilians and damage to infrastructure.
Infrastructure and daily life
Mohammed al-Saeed, director of Quneitra’s Information Directorate, told SANA that residents of the province continue to live under constant psychological and security pressure as a result of a systematic pattern of Israeli violations.
He said the escalation has damaged key infrastructure, including roads, water networks and civilian property, further disrupting daily life across the province.
Documented violations
According to the Information Directorate, Israeli occupation forces have arbitrarily detained 47 Syrian civilians since Syria’s liberation in December 2024, taking them to undisclosed locations. It also documented the demolition of 16 homes in the village of al-Hamidiyah after residents were forcibly displaced.
Families seek answers
Hassan Saad al-Din Ahmad, whose son is among those detained, said families have received little information about the fate of their relatives. He said the International Committee of the Red Cross informed families that Israeli authorities deny holding many of the detainees and have not officially acknowledged their detention.
Ahmad added that unconfirmed reports indicate some detainees may have been transferred to an interrogation facility known as Sde Teiman. He said families remain concerned about the health of detainees following reports of infectious skin diseases, including scabies, and the absence of medical care.
Relatives of detainees and residents have staged protests outside the headquarters of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Quneitra, calling on the international community to intervene, determine the fate of those detained and press for their release.
Civilian casualties
Local officials also reported a series of attacks on civilians. On Nov. 28, 2025, dozens of people, including children, were killed or injured in an Israeli attack on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. On Dec. 9, 2025, three civilians were wounded when Israeli forces opened fire while establishing a temporary checkpoint at the entrance to Khan Arnabeh. On April 3, 2026, Osama al-Fahd, a resident of Zaaroura village, was killed after Israeli forces fired a tank shell at his vehicle in southern Quneitra countryside.
Agricultural losses
Abdul Rahman Khalaf, head of the Quneitra Farmers’ Union, said Israeli forces have also pursued shepherds, restricted access to grazing land, sprayed chemical pesticides on crops and seized agricultural land.
Mohammed Meryoud, mukhtar of Jubata al-Khashab, said Israeli forces appropriated about 10,000 dunums of the town’s land following military incursions after 2024. The area includes forests, natural grazing land and previously reclaimed farmland.
Expanded military presence
SANA’s reporter in the province said Israeli forces have established nine forward military positions inside Syrian territory in Quneitra and neighboring Daraa province, including at Mount Hermon, Qurs al-Nafl, Taloul al-Humr, Jubata al-Khashab forest, al-Hamidiyah, al-Adnaniyah, Tal al-Ahmar al-Gharbi, the destroyed Quneitra base and al-Jazeera point.
He added that Israeli forces also constructed what is known as the “Sofa 53” line, a military trench extending along the disengagement line that has isolated large areas of agricultural land and restricted civilian movement.
UNDOF’s limited mandate
Although UNDOF remains deployed in the area, its mandate is limited to monitoring the ceasefire and documenting violations along the disengagement line, leaving civilians without direct protection, according to local officials.
Residents continue to call for immediate international action to protect civilians and their property. Syria maintains that Israel’s actions violate international law and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and has repeatedly called on the international community to ensure Israel’s withdrawal from southern Syrian territory.
R.D/ABD
