IOF infiltrate Quneitra countryside, issue warnings to Daraa residents

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen + Agencies
13 Dec 2024 12:16
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The SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council says it had repelled all attacks by "Turkish occupation mercenaries" on the Tishreen Dam and Qaraqozak Bridge.

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A soldier closes a gate as Israeli military forces cross the fence to and from the buffer zone with Syria, near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, on December 11, 2024 (AFP)

Israeli tanks "infiltrated deep into Quneitra countryside overnight, entering the town of Khan Arnabah, one of the largest towns in the province," local sources from Quneitra reported Friday.

The Israeli tanks "entered an abandoned former military position in Khan Arnabah before later withdrawing," the sources added.

As part of its continued incursions into Syria, the Israeli occupation military also issued warnings to residents of villages in western rural Daraa, ordering them to remain in their homes, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.

Regarding last night’s Israeli airstrikes, our correspondent pointed out that a significant portion of the targeted sites "had been previously struck by the occupation."

He noted that the Israeli airstrikes "targeted Mount Qasioun in the Syrian capital, Damascus, where sites belonging to the former regime's Republican Guard are located."

Meanwhile, Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to "prepare to remain" throughout the winter in the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights.

"Due to the situation in Syria, it is of critical security importance to maintain our presence at the summit of Mount Hermon, and everything must be done to ensure the (army's) readiness on-site to enable the fighters to stay there despite the challenging weather conditions," Katz's spokesman said in a statement Friday.

In a move that has triggered widespread international criticism, including from UN chief Antonio Guterres, the Israeli military occupied the demilitarized zone on Sunday, just hours after the armed opposition in Syria seized control of most of the country's territory.

"This deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 (armistice) agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office claimed on Thursday.

The UN indicated that the Israeli military's seizure of the buffer zone violates the 1974 "disengagement agreement" between Syria and "Israel".

SDF say repelled mercenary attacks on Tishreen Dam, Qaraqozak Bridge

Also in Syria, the Manbij Military Council affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that it had repelled all attacks by "Turkish occupation mercenaries" on the Tishreen Dam and Qaraqozak Bridge.

The council stated that "after three days of heroic resistance" against a comprehensive, multi-pronged attack with Turkish air support on the Tishreen Dam and Qaraqozak Bridge, its forces managed to thwart the attack, drive out the mercenary remnants, and inflict heavy losses on them.

It further noted that despite the ceasefire agreement brokered under US auspices and at a time when national attention was focused on toppling the regime in Syria, "the Turkish occupation mercenaries carried out repeated attacks, utilizing various types of weapons, tanks, and armored vehicles, supported by aerial coverage from over 20 Turkish AKINCI drones targeting Qaraqozak Bridge and Tishreen Dam southeast of Manbij."

The Manbij Military Council noted that the Turkish forces, which provided constant air support for the mercenary attacks, directly targeted the Tishreen Dam with drone strikes, causing significant damage.

Additionally, the statement said that Turkish forces bombarded areas of engagement and Manbij Military Council positions over 160 times by drones, asserting that the Council's fighters employed modern warfare tactics, "outmaneuvered the mercenaries, set ambushes, and inflicted severe losses, including the killing of many of their leaders and the destruction of their tanks and vehicles."

According to the Council, the three days of battles at Qaraqozak Bridge and Tishreen Dam resulted in the death of 210 mercenaries, hundreds of injuries, as well as the destruction of 39 military vehicles, six tanks, five suicide drones, and 20 motorcycles.

The statement also confirmed that eight Manbij Military Council fighters were killed, and 13 others were injured.