Russian military delegation arrived in Quneitra; toured villages bordering Israel

A Russian delegation visited villages and towns in the Quneitra countryside near the border with Israel today. The delegation, accompanied by 15 Russian military vehicles, toured the town of Saida al-Hanoun and nearby villages, as well as those adjacent to the border strip with Israel.

According to reports, the areas toured by the Russian military delegation are subject to almost daily incursions by the Israeli army. This comes amid talk of a "potential security agreement" between the Syrian transitional government and Russia to reinstate Russian military police patrols in these areas, as was the case under the previous regime.

The Syrian interim government had previously suggested the possibility of Russian military patrols returning to southern Syria, particularly in Quneitra and Daraa, areas that witness almost daily incursions by Israeli forces, the establishment of mobile checkpoints, searches of passersby, and arrests of civilians.

The Syrian interim government believes that the presence of Russian military forces in southern Syria would halt Israeli incursions and efforts to establish a buffer zone, which Tel Aviv had previously announced its intention to create.

ANHA