Israeli army advances into Daraa countryside in violation of Syria’s sovereignty

By Abdulsalam Fayez and Rania Abushamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israel continued its violations of Syria’s sovereignty on Saturday, advancing into the Yarmouk Basin area in the countryside of Daraa province in the country's south.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said Israeli occupation forces carried out the incursion into the vicinity of the villages of Maariya and Abdeen in Yarmouk Basin, western countryside of Daraa.

The agency quoted the mayor of Maariya and Abdeen villages, Muwaffaq Mahmoud, as saying that 20 soldiers, three Hilux vehicles, and a military jeep, was stationed in the area between the two villages from 6 am (0300GMT) to 8 am local time, and then withdrew.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Israeli forces have been carrying out near-daily incursions into Syrian territory, particularly in the Quneitra countryside, detaining civilians, setting up checkpoints, questioning those passing through and destroying farmland.

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 agreement.