IOF demolish entire neighborhood, expel residents in Quneitra, Syria

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
17 Jun 2025 23:51

Israeli occupation forces demolish 15 buildings in Syria’s Quneitra, expel residents, and increase military presence amid ongoing violations and daily incursions in the region.

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Israeli soldiers stand on armored vehicles inside the buffer zone near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 (AP)

Syrian news sources reported on Tuesday that an Israeli military unit stormed the northern section of Al-Hamidiyah village in the Quneitra countryside, southern Syria. The raid led to the complete demolition of an entire neighborhood consisting of 15 buildings and homes.

Following the incursion, occupation forces expelled residents from their homes located near their strategic bases positioned on surrounding hills. This move coincided with the arrival of new military reinforcements to the Israeli base bordering the town, signaling an escalation in military presence and activity.

A few days ago, the Israeli Army Radio announced that forces from the Alexandroni Brigade infiltrated the Syrian village of Beit Jann, located approximately 10 kilometers from the occupied border, in a nighttime raid that led to the arrest of several Syrians on allegations of "involvement in terrorism."

Local sources confirmed to Al Mayadeen that this operation represents the deepest incursion by occupation forces into the southwestern Damascus countryside in recent years and the first known deployment of Israeli troops into Beit Jann’s neighborhoods.

Israeli Damascus advance breaches sovereignty, fuels tensions: Syria

The Syrian Interior Ministry condemned the Israeli incursion into the Damascus countryside as a flagrant violation of the nation's sovereignty, calling it a deliberate provocation.

The ministry stated in an official announcement that "these Israeli practices will not lead the region to stability," warning that they will only fuel further tension and unrest.

The ministry detailed that Israeli military forces, including tanks, troop carriers, and ground units, supported by surveillance drones, advanced into the village of Beit Jin, located in Damascus' Qatana countryside, at dawn on Thursday.

The ministry added that Israeli troops conducted search-and-arrest operations, abducting seven civilians, and opened fire on villagers during the raid, killing one civilian and taking the detainees into occupied lands, with their current whereabouts still unconfirmed.