Quneitra, southwest Syria – Israeli forces carried out a fresh ground incursion early Monday in Syria’s southwestern Quneitra province, amid signs of intensifying military activity along the border.
According to our local correspondent, a convoy of six Israeli military vehicles entered the village of Sayda al-Hanout in southern Quneitra at dawn, conducting house-to-house searches. No arrests were reported.
The move followed a series of operations over the weekend. On Sunday, Israeli reconnaissance drones conducted heavy overflights across Quneitra and neighbouring Daraa, while ground units, backed by armoured vehicles and mine-clearing equipment, searched fields near the villages of Koya and Mariya in western Daraa. Earlier, Israeli patrols were also seen erecting temporary checkpoints on the road between Samdaniyah al-Sharqiyah and Khan Arnabeh, and conducting searches along the Jbata al-Khashab–Khan Arnabeh road.
The renewed military presence comes as The Times of Israel reported that a U.S.-brokered security agreement between Israel and Syria is “99% complete,” with an announcement expected in the coming weeks. A U.S. official cited by the paper said the final sticking points involve timing and Syrian domestic considerations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed ongoing talks with Syria’s transitional government, saying the proposed security deal could include “demilitarization of the south” and safeguards for Syria’s Druze minority.
“Our victories in Lebanon against Hezbollah have opened a window into a possibility that wasn’t even imaginable prior to our recent operations, and that is the possibility of peace with our neighbors to the north,” Netanyahu said, while cautioning that the deal remains a work in progress.
