A large Israeli military convoy advanced into the outskirts of Rafid and Al-Isha in the southern Quneitra countryside [Getty]
Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes late on Friday targeting Palmyra airbase in Tadmur city in central Homs province while an unprecedented Israeli military incursion took place in southern Quneitra countryside, raising concerns among local residents.
Israeli jets struck Palmyra Military Airport and the nearby Al-Bustan area, which previously housed Iranian militia positions. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Israeli said it had targeted “strategic military capabilities remaining in the Tadmur and Tiyas (T-4) airbase areas”.
The forces of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran-backed groups repurposed Tadmur Military Airport for military use in September 2017. This followed Russian assistance in re-establishing the site after the area was recaptured from Islamic State (IS) militants.
Earlier, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli warplanes had targeted the Palmyra military airport.Â
Syria TV reported that two members of the Syrian defence ministry’s 42nd Division were injured in the Israeli attack. The outlet also reported that US helicopters flew at low altitudes over Deir Ezzor.
Meanwhile, a large Israeli military convoy – comprising armoured vehicles and 4×4 trucks – advanced into the outskirts of Rafid and Al-Isha in the southern Quneitra countryside at midnight on Friday. Local residents described this latest incursion as “the most extensive in recent months”.
According to sources in Quneitra, the convoy departed from an Israeli military post stationed at Tel al-Ahmar West and followed a dirt road previously carved through agricultural land near the separation line between Syrian territory and the occupied Golan Heights.
“Today’s incursion was different. The convoy was larger than usual, and it didn’t stop at the familiar points,” local resident Mohammed al-Bakr told The New Arab’s Arabic language.
The incursion, coupled with intensified Israeli warplane activity over Quneitra and Daraa provinces, has left residents anxious about potential escalation.
In the absence of an official response from Syrian authorities or international intervention, al-Bakr said there was an atmosphere of fear.
“We’ve reached a point where no state is defending us, and we are powerless. The hills are now theirs, and we are left awaiting an uncertain fate.”
The southern Quneitra countryside and Daraa are considered sensitive zones due to their proximity to the occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the demilitarisation of southern Syria and said his country will not tolerate the presence of forces from the new authorities south of the capital Damascus.
The southern area has witnessed a growing number of Israeli incursions and strikes in recent months, with no apparent response from Syria’s new authorities.
