Israeli forces have carried out raids in the city of Al-Baath in the southern Quneitra province on Monday, hours after it established several outposts in the province's villages, where Iran-backed factions, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, had previously held positions before the ousting of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8.
The Israeli army reportedly removed barriers that the former regime forces had erected in the city, and led incursions on some houses under the pretext of searching them for weapons, explosive devices, and members of Hezbollah, sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, °®Âþµº's sister site.
The sources added that the Israeli army seized the governorate building where it established a military post and deployed soldiers on the roof of the building, amidst Israeli warplanes flying over Quneitra and the western countryside of Daraa.
The sources added that Israel's moves come amid a "dangerous escalation", amid an invasion of the between Syria and the , which occurred following the fall of the.
On Saturday and Sunday, Israeli forces also conducted patrols, raids and operations in the area and arresting at least two people suspected of collaborating with Hezbollah, local sources told .
Further raids were conducted in several towns and villages, including Al-Hurriya, Tranja, Jabata Al-Khashab, Western Al-Samdaniyah, Ufaniyah, Kafr Batna, Kodna, Al-Qahatiyah, Al-Rafeed, Rasem Al-Shar', Rasem Al-Rawadi, and Saida Al-Golan in Quneitra province.
Israeli forces also demolished several houses in Saida Al-Golan and Al-Rafeed, uprooting trees, and levelling land in Al-Rafeed, the sources said.
They also set up roadblocks at key intersections and established military positions in Al-Hamidiyah and Al-Baath City.
The operations included raids on homes and farms, which Israel claims it was carrying out to secure its borders and ensure the absence of Syrian army forces as well as Iran-backed factions.
Locals were warned against "resisting" the search operations, sources said.
Meanwhile, residents have called for daily demonstrations against the Israeli occupation of Syria, highlighting that locals did not possess any weapons that may threaten Israel's security.
Saeed Al-Mohammed, a local resident, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the occupation forces aim to pressure and isolate residents by targeting their agricultural activities, intending to displace them or provoke resistance as a pretext for further incursions.
Al-Mohammed said that the ongoing incursions and setting up of checkpoints and military positions indicated that Israeli forces had no intention of withdrawing from southern Syria or handing over these areas to United Nations forces.
Meanwhile, residents in the Daraa governorate's Maariya and Jamlah villages attempted to convene for a meeting on Saturday to address the situation of farmers and beekeepers.
They were barred by Israeli forces, who had established an outpost at the nearby Al-Jazeera Brigade base - formerly under the control of the Assad regime forces - from accessing their agricultural lands and apiaries in the Yarmouk Valley area.
Amr Al-Mahasnah, a local resident, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the meeting took place on Sunday morning and was attended by village elders, farmers, beekeepers, and officers from an Israeli patrol.
An agreement was reached to let residents resume their activities under guarantees from Israeli positions not to interfere, with a local committee taking responsibility for oversight.
Al-Mahasnah noted that Israeli soldiers claimed their presence in the area was "temporary and aimed at ensuring Israel’s security" until forces from the new Syrian government could be deployed to maintain security and control arms among residents.
Later on Sunday, a local committee representing residents of the town of Maaraba in the Yarmouk Basin area of rural Daraa reached an agreement with Israeli forces to avoid disruption of agricultural activities.
Youssef Al-Musalih, a media activist from Daraa, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the agreement had included allowing farmers to resume their work and halting search operations.
He added that the agreement had followed demonstrations in the area against Israeli interventions, with Israeli forces reiterating to residents that their presence was "temporary".
On Saturday, UN officials announced plans to deploy peacekeeping forces to the buffer zone in the coming days, with a six-month mandate extension.