Israel has, since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, extended its occupation of Syrian territory and staged numerous raids and bombardments.
Twelve Israeli military vehicles have entered the village of Saida al-Golan in the Quneitra countryside, southern Syria, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground there.
This latest Israeli incursion on Tuesday, a further violation of Syrian sovereignty, comes as a Syrian delegation is holding a new round of negotiations with Israeli counterparts in the French capital Paris, under the coordination and mediation of the United States, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.
The talks were expected to continue into a second and final day Tuesday.
A government source told SANA on Monday that the resumption of these negotiations affirms Syria’s unwavering commitment to restoring its non-negotiable national rights.
Israel has, since the fall of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, extended its occupation of Syrian territory beyond the Golan Heights and staged numerous raids and bombardments in southern Syria.
For months, Israeli forces have conducted near-daily incursions into southern Syria, particularly in the Quneitra governorate, carrying out arrests, erecting checkpoints, and bulldozing land, all of which have prompted growing public anger and unrest.
Despite a reduction in direct military threats, the Israeli army continues to carry out air raids that have caused civilian casualties and destroyed Syrian army sites and facilities.
Over the past year, Israel has launched more than 600 air, drone and artillery attacks across Syria, averaging nearly two attacks a day, according to a tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).
Disengagement accord
After President al-Assad’s fall, Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement – brokered after the 1973 war, in which Syria failed to regain the occupied Golan Heights – void.
The agreement had established protocols for a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone, which Israel has since violated, advancing deeper into Syrian territory.
Citing al-Assad’s flight, Israel says the accord no longer applies, while carrying out air raids, ground incursions, and reconnaissance flights; setting up checkpoints; and arresting or disappearing Syrians.
Syria has not responded with attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in late December that Israel was keen to ensure a peaceful border with Syria, and United States President Donald Trump said he was sure Israel would get along with Syria’s current President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led a lightning offensive to topple al-Assad in late 2024.
Talks have been ongoing on and off to reach a deal on a security agreement between Israel and Syria for months, without a deal or concrete progress being announced.
Syria does not formally recognise Israel, nor does it have any interest in joining Trump’s Abraham Accords, under which a handful of Arab nations have recognised Israel.
Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights is recognised by Washington, but it is rejected by the vast majority of the international community.