IOF storm Quneitra countryside villages, residents defy evacuations
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Local sources indicate that Israeli forces carried out a forced evacuation of the residents of the village of Rasem al-Ruwadi in Quneitra.
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Israeli military forces cross the fence to the buffer zone with Syria, near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, on December 11, 2024 (AFP)
Israeli occupation forces stormed Wednesday evening the towns of Ruwaihinah and Umm Batna in the central countryside of Quneitra, local sources in southern Syria told Al Mayadeen.
According to the sources, the Israeli incursion involved tanks and infantry units, during which several houses were searched and various weapons and ammunition were seized.
The occupation forces later withdrew from Umm Batna after stationing at a military site, west of the town, which they subsequently detonated, before redeploying in the town of al-Ajraf in the central countryside of Quneitra.
Media sources also told Al Mayadeen that the residents of Quneitra have refused to evacuate their villages.
A couple of days ago, a delegation of locals and community leaders engaged in negotiations with Israeli occupation forces, facilitated by the coordination of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), in a meeting that lasted over 10 hours.
The sources indicated that the meeting concluded with an agreement to construct a road west of the village of Kwdana to prevent occupation forces from entering the village, while ensuring services for the villagers, allowing residents to move freely within the villages and carry out their daily activities.
It was also agreed to reopen the governorate building in the coming days and for the occupation forces to retreat to the al-Mashtal Bridge. However, any gunfire or carrying of weapons would risk the re-entry of the occupation forces into the village.
The community leaders and residents unanimously agreed to remain in their homes and not evacuate the villages where Israeli forces had advanced. It was also agreed to turn in specific weapons in each village—such as RPG launchers and machine guns—through local community mediation to the provincial police leadership, with a strict prohibition on any gunfire in the villages.
In the same context, media reports on Thursday highlighted further incursions by Israeli forces in the Quneitra province, where residents of some villages were forcibly displaced to "annex" these areas into a buffer zone, which has reached a depth of five kilometers in certain regions.
Additionally, local sources indicated that Israeli forces carried out a forced evacuation of the residents of the village of Rasem al-Ruwadi in Quneitra. Meanwhile, a UN source reported that Israeli forces have been obstructing the operations of peacekeeping forces in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Netanyahu says occupied Syrian Golan Heights Israeli 'for eternity'
On Monday, a UN official said Israeli occupation forces (IOF) moving into the buffer zone on the border of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights "violate" the 1974 disengagement agreement between "Israel" and Syria.
The UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, "informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions would constitute a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement," according to Stephane Dujarric, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesperson.
Dujarric explained that the IOF had invaded the zone and were still there in at least three sites.
He explained that the IOF "have entered the area of separation and have been moving within that area where they remain in at least three locations throughout the area of separation," adding that there should be no military or activities in that area and "Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement, and preserve stability in the Golan."
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech said the occupied Syrian Golan Heights are Israeli "for eternity".
Netanyahu further underscored that Israeli occupation forces' control of the high ground "ensures our security and sovereignty."
Read more: Israeli strikes on Syria violate international law: UN experts
