Israeli actions in Syria: from incursions to military bases; territorial control

Southern Syria has witnessed a significant change in the nature of the Israeli military presence since the end of 2024. Reports, field information, and human rights documentation reveal the expanding scope and increasing frequency of Israeli operations.

From the buffer zone to incursions into Syrian territory

Israeli forces began their first movements inside the Area of Separation, monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), on 7 December 2024, coinciding with the collapse of the Baathist regime. The following day, the Israeli army announced the deployment of its forces in the area and at other locations inside Syrian territory.

The army justified these moves by citing the need to protect its security and prevent threats along its borders.

On 13 December 2024, UNDOF confirmed that Israeli forces continued to be deployed at multiple locations within the Area of Separation, stating that these movements constituted a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

The buffer zone falls within the arrangements established by the Disengagement Agreement signed between Syria and Israel in 1974, which regulates the separation of forces in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and Syrian territory.

The United Nations and the Syrian government have affirmed that the Israeli military presence inside the Area of Separation constitutes a violation of the agreement and of Syria’s sovereignty. Israel, meanwhile, has continued to maintain that its movements are temporary and motivated by security concerns.

The expansion has not been limited to entering the buffer zone. Repeated incursions into inhabited villages and towns have subsequently been documented, along with the establishment of military positions, the movement of patrols inside Syrian territory, and air and artillery strike targeting military installations and other areas in Syria. Most of these strikes have taken place in the rural areas of Daraa and Quneitra and south of Damascus, as confirmed by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.

“Sufa 53”: fortified roads and observation posts

The “Sufa 53 Line” project is one of the most prominent manifestations of the changes on the ground along the border strip within the geographical boundaries of Quneitra Governorate. According to local residents, work associated with the project began before the fall of the regime, in 2022, and accelerated after December 2024, as engineering and military works expanded within the border area.

The route of the fortifications extends from the vicinity of the town of Hadar in the northern countryside of Quneitra, passing through the villages of Jabbata al-Khashab, Hamidiyah, Qahhtaniyah, Ruwayhinah, Bariqa, and Bir Ajam, towards the border triangle area.

The works include the construction of a military road approximately eight meters wide, the erection of large earthen embankments, the digging of trenches, and the establishment of observation posts and military positions parallel to the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

According to estimates by local officials, approximately 12,000 feddans of land in the northern and central countryside of Quneitra have been affected by the fortification works. Residents have reported damage to agricultural land and grazing areas, disruption of watercourses, and difficulties accessing some fields.

In the latest developments, Israeli forces bulldozed parts of al-Hamriyah Hill near the village of Taranja in the northern countryside of Quneitra. They also informed United Nations forces of their intention to establish a new observation post there, similar to the military position on Tel Ahmar in the eastern part of the southern countryside of Quneitra.

Where are Israeli Forces currently deployed?

Documented Israeli military positions and movements are concentrated in the governorates of Quneitra and Daraa, extending into the western countryside of Damascus, particularly areas near the Line of Separation and the Yarmouk Basin.

In Quneitra, the locations and areas include Mount Hermon, Jabbata al-Khashab, Qurs al-Nafl, Qahhtaniyah, the al-Hamr hills, the vicinity of al-Mantara Dam, as well as Tel Ahmar, Bariqa, Taranja, Hamidiyah, and agricultural areas adjacent to the Line of Separation.

In the western countryside of Daraa, the movements include the Yarmouk Basin area, the villages of al-Shajarah, Maariya, and Abidin, al-Jazira barracks near Maariya, as well as movements in Wadi al-Raqqad and neighboring areas.

In the western countryside of Damascus, incursions have repeatedly occurred around Beit Jinn and its farmlands, where Israeli forces have also blown-up military positions belonging to the former regime.

How many Israeli Military bases are there?

The establishment of nine bases, in addition to seven military sites in southern Syria, has been documented. These extend from the Mount Hermon position to al-Jazira barracks in the Yarmouk Basin, with the possibility of adding a new observation post on al-Hamriyah Hill in the northern countryside of Quneitra.

How many Israeli soldiers are deployed in Southern Syria?

It is estimated that between 1,000 and 1,500 soldiers are stationed at these bases and military sites, based on a cross-referencing of information contained in Israeli media reports. They are also supported by approximately 300 military vehicles and armoured vehicles, distributed across military positions in Quneitra and Daraa.

What is the extent of Israeli expansion?

The research organisation Eitana Syria presented a geographical assessment in an analysis published in October 2026, distinguishing between three patterns of Israeli presence in southwestern Syria: areas under direct control, areas experiencing repeated incursions, and areas entered by Israeli forces at least once since the fall of the regime.

According to the organisation’s estimates, the area under direct Israeli control covers approximately 400 square kilometers, including parts of the Area of Separation and areas inside Syrian territory. The deepest point of the Israeli advance reaches approximately 12 kilometers into Syrian territory.

Areas experiencing repeated incursions are estimated to cover approximately 880 square kilometers, encompassing Quneitra Governorate and areas extending towards the western countryside of Daraa. Meanwhile, the areas reached by Israeli forces at least once cover approximately 1,160 square kilometers across the governorates of Quneitra and Daraa and the countryside of Damascus.

Thousands of ground operations and hundreds of arrests

Since the fall of the Baathist regime, more than 3,360 Israeli ground operations have been recorded. These have included incursions, patrols, raids, arrests, the establishment of temporary checkpoints, and the creation of military positions.

During their incursions, Israeli forces arrested 310 people, most of whom were subsequently released, while more than 35 people remain in detention.

In a report published on 8 October, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the killing of at least 69 people.

The network also documented 22 incidents affecting vital civilian facilities and infrastructure, including a school and a mosque. In addition, it recorded the demolition of at least 15 civilian homes in the village of Hamidiyah in the countryside of Quneitra, extensive bulldozing operations in the Jabbata al-Khashab nature reserve, and the resumption of bulldozing works west of the village of al-Asha and the town of al-Rafid as part of the “Sufa 53” project.

ANHA