The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday evening that approximately 50 Israeli soldiers raided the town of Jubata al-Khashab in the northern countryside of Quneitra, southern Syria. According to the observatory, the Israeli forces searched several homes under the pretext of "looking for weapons" and deployed snipers throughout the town.

On Tuesday evening, local sources reported that several Israeli military vehicles stormed the al-Jazira checkpoint near the village of Maariya in the Yarmouk Basin region. This invasion coincided with airstrikes and artillery shelling targeting various locations across southern Syria.

In a related development, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom revealed on Wednesday that the newly appointed head of the Shin Bet security agency, David Zini, secretly entered deep into Syrian territory alongside Israeli forces.

The report states that the operation took place in areas where the Israeli military operates, but are not officially recognized as occupied territories. These areas are said to be located on the outskirts of Damascus.

On Tuesday evening, the occupied Syrian Golan Heights had witnessed heightened tensions as sirens echoed across the region, followed by audible explosions. The alert was sparked by the launch of two Grad-type rockets from the southern Syrian city of Daraa toward Israeli-occupied territory.

According to "Israel's" Channel 12, the rockets "fell in an open area" within the Golan, causing no reported casualties. Israeli military sources later said the rockets were believed to have been launched from the village of Tsil, approximately 11 kilometers from the 1974 line between occupied Golan and the rest of Syria.

سقوط قذيفتين صاروخيتين في جنوب الجولان المحتل أطلقتا من سوريا#سوريا #الجولان_السوري_المحتل #الاحتلال_الصهيوني #كتائب_الشهيد_محمد_الضيف #درعا https://t.co/gc02C35w4n pic.twitter.com/5hA7t7v5JZ

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Israeli warplanes and drones later carried out a series of airstrikes and artillery attacks targeting several locations in southern Syria. The strikes extended across the countryside of Quneitra, Daraa, and as far as the T4 military airport and the outskirts of Damascus.

Southern escalation

Local sources informed Al Mayadeen that Israeli forces struck "a number of villages in Daraa and the Yarmouk Basin," with additional raids between Sa'sa' and Kanaker, west of the capital. Another airstrike hit positions around the 175th Regiment near Izraa, in eastern Daraa. Al Mayadeen also reported that "Tel al-Mahs west of Jassim in northern Daraa was repeatedly targeted."

Syrian state television confirmed that the Tel al-Sha'ar area in the Quneitra countryside came under "intense Israeli airstrikes."

In an official statement, the Israeli army held Damascus accountable for the developments, declaring it had struck "military sites belonging to the Syrian regime in southern Syria" and blaming the government for "the current situation in Syria."

Read more: Explosions heard in Golan heights after rocket fire from Syria

Local observers noted that Israeli ground forces also advanced into the al-Jazeera point near Ma'ariya village, situated in the Yarmouk Basin area.

"Israel's" Army Radio commented on the rocket origin, stating that "the rockets were launched from the Tsil area," adding that Israeli forces "had operated more than once" in that location. A correspondent from "Israel's" Kan network confirmed the proximity, noting that "Tsil is a village located about 11 kilometers from the border."