UPDATE – Israeli forces launch smoke grenades on Syrian women, children in Quneitra countryside

ADDS MORE DETAILS, CHANGES DECK

By Laith Al-jnaidi, Betul Yilmaz, and Lina Altawell

DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli forces targeted women and children with smoke grenades in the northern Quneitra countryside in southern Syria on Wednesday, according to local media.

A group of women and children were attacked by an Israeli unit while they were collecting wild mushrooms in the area between the villages of al-Adnaniyah and Ruwayhinah, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

No further details were provided regarding the condition of women and children.

An Israeli drone also dropped several bombs near the Mantara Dam in the northern Quneitra countryside, SANA said.

Mantara Dam serves as a main water source for Quneitra province, providing drinking water and supplies for agricultural activities.

According to the same source, Israeli forces fired an illumination flare toward Tal Kroum, near the town of Jaba in the central Quneitra countryside, without causing civilian injuries.

Meanwhile, an Israeli patrol, consisting of six vehicles, raided the Jamla village in the Daraa countryside, deploying around residential neighborhoods and causing panic among civilians.

SANA said Israeli forces stormed and searched several houses in the area and detained two young Syrians.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army or Syrian authorities on the reports.

Despite the fact that the Syrian government poses no threat, Israeli forces have repeatedly entered Syrian territory and launched airstrikes, killing civilians and destroying Syrian military sites, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition.

Syrian government data shows that since December 2024, Israel has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids into the southern provinces.

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 a 1974 agreement with Syria.