The Syrian news channel “Al-Ikhbariya” reported on Friday that an Israeli occupation force consisting of eight military vehicles advanced from the Adnaniyah point towards the villages of Umm al-Azam and Ruwayhina, passing through the villages of Ras al-Halabi, al-Mushayrifa, and Umm al-Mabatna. The channel noted that “Israeli warplanes flew over the Quneitra Governorate at low altitudes.” The channel also confirmed incursions into the village of al-Aarida in the Yarmouk Basin area, explaining that forces infiltrating the village in the western countryside of the governorate arrested a Syrian citizen during a surprise raid in the area.
Reports published by Israeli media revealed that “the Israeli army is preparing from southern Syria, which may resemble the incursion operation that took place on October 7, 2023.” According to estimates published by the Israeli newspapers “Yedioth Ahronoth” and “Maariv,” there is “a possibility of about 40 vehicles attempting to cross the border from two or three points starting from Syrian territory towards Israel.” Israeli intelligence estimates indicate that “Iran is working through armed groups to prepare for a large-scale attack from southern Syria, aiming to open a new pressure front on Israel.”
Israel had launched an air and ground military operation against Syria on Sunday, December 8, 2024, hours after the departure of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Israeli vehicles penetrated the buffer zone, Quneitra, and Mount Hermon, under the pretext of “establishing a buffer zone” between Syrian territory and the Golan Heights, originally occupied by Israel, with support from the air force, which simultaneously launched raids on various areas in Syria.
The operation, named “Arrow of Bashan” by Israel, is the first in 50 years since the ceasefire agreements on May 31, 1974, following the October 1973 War, during which Israeli forces crossed the border fence and imposed control over new Syrian territories. Following the October 6, 1973, war, the Syrian and Israeli armies signed disengagement agreements, and on the same date, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force was formed. Under the disengagement agreement, a buffer zone was established between Syrian and Israeli forces in the Golan, stretching about 80 kilometers in length and varying in width from half a kilometer to 10 kilometers.
