The Israeli occupation infiltrates Quneitra and arrests a civilian in its southern countryside
On Friday, May 8, 2026, the Israeli occupation forces arrested a young man during a new incursion into the countryside of Quneitra governorate in southwestern Syria, in a new incident that is part of a series of repeated violations in the border area.
The Quneitra Media Directorate reported on its Facebook page that an Israeli force "infiltrated towards the village of Saida al-Hanout in the southern countryside of Quneitra, consisting of 6 military vehicles, where it intercepted the path of a number of sheep herders and arrested one of them."
The agency added that the Israeli force continued its movement towards the village of Al-Razaniya, and set up a checkpoint at the junction of the village leading to the Golan Heights, before later withdrawing from the area as part of a "policy of restriction" on the local population.
There has been no comment from the Israeli side on this incident, which is part of hundreds of repeated Israeli incursions into southern Syria, including raids, searches and arrests, as well as the erection of temporary checkpoints on the main road in the province's countryside.
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 Quneitra countryside were damaged as a result of the field works carried out by the Israeli occupation forces within the "Suva 53" project, and the damage includes large areas in the northern and central countryside, where the digging of trenches and the lifting of earthen berms led to direct losses to farmers and herders, in addition to the destruction of parts of natural forests.
Read also. What is the Sofa 53 project?
In a statement to Anadolu Agency, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, the director of information in Quneitra, Mohammed al-Said, said 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-Akhbar alone, the residents lost more than 7,000 dunums of agricultural land and pastures, according to the town's mayor, Mohammed Mazen Maryoud, who said that the trench dug by the Israeli occupation to 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.
Occupation bases and a buffer zone extending for 500 km²
Since the fall of the Syrian regime in December 2024, the Israeli occupation army has significantly expanded its presence in southern Syria, and the map of the current field sites shows a heavy concentration of Israeli forces in Quneitra, where the Jabal al-Sheikh observatory stands out, which allows intelligence control over the entire front, in addition to the eastern and western Tal al-Ahmar bases near Kudna, and the Horsh Jabata al-Khatab base equipped with a helipad and logistical facilities, in addition to the shamrock disk bases west of Hadar and Adnaniya near the Dam Al-Mantara, as well as fixed points in the demolished Quneitra, Rafid and Hamidiya.
Reports indicate that the number of Israeli occupation sites inside Syrian territory ranges between 13 and 19 fixed positions, in addition to dozens of temporary checkpoints that are used in raids, searches and arrests inside the villages of Quneitra such as Sidon Al-Hanout and Al-Razaniyya, in operations carried out on an almost daily basis to control what Israel considers border threats.
The Israeli occupation also seized an area estimated at 500 square kilometers of southern Syria, and turned it into a buffer zone that includes trenches and military roads, most notably the "Suva 53" road, in a step that reflects a trend towards consolidating a new reality on the ground on the border.