For several days, the border villages of Quneitra governorate in south-west Syria have experienced relative calm, following consecutive weeks of Israeli escalation which included sudden incursions, widespread arrests, and intensive reconnaissance flights over the area. Yet this temporary halt has not dispelled residents’ fears, as they remain in constant anticipation of further raids at any moment.
An unprecedented wave of escalation
In recent weeks, Quneitra witnessed one of the most violent escalations since the beginning of the year. Israeli forces entered villages and towns adjacent to the occupied Golan using heavy vehicles, including tanks, and conducted night raids involving live fire and flares. Locals described these operations not merely as security measures but as deliberate tactics to spread fear and keep civilians under constant psychological pressure.
The incursions ranged from house raids and arrests to wide sweeps of farmland close to the border. With each operation, fear among residents grew, leaving their daily lives suspended by the threat of sudden violence.
Timeline of recent incursions
Since early May, Israeli incursions in Quneitra followed a repeated pattern of escalation. On 5 May, tanks entered towards the towns of Adnaniya and Qahtaniya in central Quneitra. In August, four separate incursions targeted al-Samdaniya, Ain al-Abd, and other areas, leading to the arrest of seven young men from Jbata al-Khashab. On 26 August, a large raid on the town of Suwisa ended with the detention of local resident Dirar al-Karyan, who was released after several hours. On 29 August, Israeli forces stormed al-Samdaniya again, searching dozens of homes without making arrests.
At the end of the month, simultaneous incursions hit Ain al-Abd, al-Manshiya, Suwisa, and areas around Tal Ahmar. On 1 September, two people were detained from the village of Ruwayhina, while Kinan Bakr from the town of Tranja was arrested on charges of arms trafficking. This sequence confirmed that Quneitra had entered a tense cycle, leaving residents with no sense of stability.
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Arrests and civilian casualties
The number of Syrians held in Israeli prisons rose to around 37 during this period, including a 17-year-old minor. The killing of Rami Ghanem, a blind resident of Tranja, shocked the community after his house was struck under unclear circumstances. Accounts differed between a tank shell and a drone strike, but the fact remained that an unarmed civilian had been targeted, deepening fears that no one was outside the scope of danger.
Locals spoke to +963 with evident anxiety, stressing that the current calm does not mean reassurance.
Yasin al-Hamad, the mukhtar of Umm al-Izam, said: “The situation is a bit calmer these past days, but that doesn’t mean safety. Israeli forces are still present in their bases, close by. People are afraid to go to their lands, and farmers have stopped working for fear of arrest or sudden clashes.”
Local activist Amjad al-Haj added: “This calm isn’t real comfort. Israeli forces are still monitoring every movement. The sound of a car or a small patrol is enough to cause tension. The goal isn’t just searches and arrests; it’s to frighten people and paralyse their lives.”
He expanded: “In Quneitra today, people live under suffocating psychological pressure. Even social gatherings have become limited, avoided for fear of raids. Children suffer from lack of sleep and nightmares. Some young people abandoned study or work because they can’t move freely. These incursions affect not only safety but education, livelihoods, and social life.”
From Al-Basali village in southern Quneitra, Malik al-Ahmad told +963: “Israeli patrols have been daily for about a month. My house and my brother Amer’s were raided, and we were taken inside Israel, accused of links to Iran, though everyone here knows us. Our detention coincided with heavy incursions, but recent days have been quieter. That doesn’t mean the incursions have stopped – they continue, just less frequently.”
He added: “For the Israelis, nothing is off-limits. Suddenly their vehicles and troops move freely in the area, without restraint or respect for residents. A week ago, they entered Saysoon in western Daraa. So the calm is relative, but not an end to incursions.”
Manosur al-Tarshan, an elder from eastern Quneitra, said: “The problem isn’t only the incursions themselves, but the constant feeling they can enter anytime. There’s no trust, day or night. We live on edge. Even if patrols are routine, their presence is enough to stop people working. It feels like our lives are fully controlled by others – that alone is a kind of collective punishment.”
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Reconnaissance aircraft never leave the skies
The pressure is not only from ground incursions. Residents report that Israeli reconnaissance aircraft rarely leave Quneitra’s skies. The sound of drones and low-altitude flights has become a constant feature of daily life, reinforcing the sense that they are permanently under surveillance.
Amjad al-Haj described: “Even without tanks or patrols, having aircraft overhead keeps us tense. Drones are in the air day and night. People fear talking on the phone or gathering, because everyone feels watched.”
Residents see this aerial presence as a form of psychological warfare and a clear message that the current calm is only a cover for intense surveillance, making any movement vulnerable.
Military drills heighten fear
Although the pace of ground incursions slowed recently, military drills on the border with the occupied Golan continue to fuel fear. Explosions from live-fire exercises are clearly heard in Syrian villages near the frontier, and at times shells land inside Syrian territory, directly endangering civilians.
Ahmad al-Nashi, from al-Hamidiya, explained: “The problem isn’t just raids and arrests, there are constant military exercises too. Almost every day we hear explosions, tanks moving along the line of contact. Sometimes shells fall on our farmland. This frightens people even more than the incursions.”
He added: “The drills have become a daily nightmare. We live under the sound of gunfire and explosions, fearing a full-scale confrontation at any moment. Farmers are especially affected, as their land is by the border. One shell or tank movement is enough to make them abandon it.”
Residents believe these exercises are not merely routine training but a method of psychological pressure, sending a message that the entire south of Syria remains within Israel’s firing range.
Political and military dimensions
Observers argue that events in Quneitra cannot be understood purely as security measures. They carry wider political and military dimensions. Israel, according to these assessments, seeks to prevent any armed activity near the line with the occupied Golan, keep civilians in a state of fear to prevent grassroots resistance, and send regional messages that southern Syria will not become open ground for rival influence.
The timing is linked to ongoing developments in the south, where Israel closely monitors regional actors and seeks to control the situation through repeated incursions without escalating into broader conflict.
Cautious and temporary calm
In the end, the calm in Quneitra today appears fragile and temporary. Residents live between fear of the unknown and psychological readiness for another raid, while Israel continues its surveillance flights and occasional incursions. With no guarantees of de-escalation, locals fear this quiet may simply be the prelude to a new round of operations in a region where daily life has been shaped by tension for months.
