Israeli forces raid Syrian town of al-Rafid in Quneitra

Israeli forces entered the Syrian town of al-Rafid in the southern Quneitra countryside late Saturday night and conducted raids on several homes, Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV reported, providing no immediate confirmation of arrests or the current status of the troops.

Syria’s Al-Ikhbariya channel reported that Israeli troops entered al-Rafid and searched a number of residential properties during the nighttime operation. The broadcaster offered no details regarding the size of the force involved or whether the incursion resulted in any detentions. It remained unclear whether the Israeli units had withdrawn from the town by Sunday morning.

Damascus condemns continued violations

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has previously condemned what he called “the ongoing Israeli violations that undermine the security of the entire region,” demanding that Israel withdraw from territories it occupies in southern Syria. The incursion into al-Rafid comes as part of a broader pattern of Israeli military activities that Damascus considers breaches of its sovereignty.

Buffer zone tensions persist

Areas of southern Syria have witnessed repeated Israeli incursions for months, including raids, searches and arrests, as well as the establishment of military checkpoints. These activities intensified following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, after Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement to have collapsed and took control of the Syrian buffer zone. Israeli forces have maintained a presence in the area since the agreement's collapse, conducting regular patrols and temporary raids into Syrian towns.