12,000 dunums were damaged as a result of the violations of the Israeli occupation in Quneitra

At least 12,000 dunums of agricultural land and pastures in the countryside of Quneitra have been damaged as a result of the field works carried out by  the Israeli occupation forces  within the "Sufa 53" project, according to a Syrian government official,  and the damage includes large areas in the northern and central countryside, where the digging of trenches and the removal of earthen berms led to direct losses to farmers and herders, in addition to the destruction of parts of natural forests.

The director of information in Quneitra, Mohammed al-Said, said in a statement to Anadolu Agency that since mid-2022, heavy Israeli military vehicles have begun to carry out engineering works extending from the vicinity of the town of Hadar in the north to the towns of Wasat, which caused the bulldozing of agricultural lands and the destruction of extensive pastures.

He explained that the local authorities conducted an official assessment that concluded that "the total affected areas amounted to 12 thousand dunums," noting that communication with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) did not provide sufficient information due to the restrictions imposed on media access to the area.

The town of Jabata Wood is the most affected

In the town of Jabata al-Khatab alone, the residents lost more than 7,000 dunums of agricultural land and pastures, according to the town's mukhtar, Mohammed Mazen Maryoud, who said that the ditch dug by the Israeli occupation at a depth of 5 meters caused soil  erosion and changed the course of rainwater, which directly reflected on agriculture and livestock breeding.

He added that the damage caused by the Israeli violations extends to the entire province of Quneitra, with the destruction of forests and the prevention of access to some areas, in addition to an increase in raids and checkpoints.

Maryoud called on the international community to intervene to stop Israeli actions, calling on the United Nations and the concerned parties to work to find a lasting solution that stops the increasing damage that threatens the lives and livelihoods of the population in the border area.

An occupation project  that extends for tens of kilometers

The Israeli occupation says  Project Suva 53 — also called the "Great Storm" — is aimed at preventing potential attacks by Iranian-backed armed groups.

The project is being implemented within Syrian territory in Quneitra governorate, specifically within the demilitarized zone adjacent to the deployment line of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), as one of the largest engineering and military projects that have changed the reality on the ground in the Golan since 1974.

The project is based on the construction of a military road with a length of approximately 70 kilometers and a width of up to 8 meters, extending from the outskirts of the town of Hadar in the north, passing through the villages of Jabata Al-Khab, Al-Hamidiyah, Al-Qahtaniyah, Bir Ajam and Brega, and reaching the border triangle area in the south. Along this route, Israeli forces have erected earthen berms about 5 meters high, in addition to trenches and advanced military observation posts.

The Sofa project is a flagrant breach of the disengagement agreement

Israeli sources describe the project as a "line of defense and attack" aimed at preventing infiltration or incursions, and the actual work on the project began in mid-2022, before accelerating during 2024 and 2025, and these works left wide effects on the Syrian side, as the bulldozing and drilling operations led to the damage of thousands of dunams of agricultural lands and pastures in the northern and central countryside of Quneitra, which reflected directly on farmers and livestock breeders, and caused environmental losses, including the removal of forests and protected natural areas.

The UN views the project as a breach of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, as it changes the nature of the buffer zone, which is supposed to be under the control of UN forces, and resets the landscape on the ground in one of Syria's most sensitive areas on the border.