Key points
- Six new bases built near strategic locations in Quneitra, Daraa
- Thousands displaced after homes demolished for Israeli military bases
- Locals fear for safety, movement restricted by Israeli forces
ISLAMABAD: The Israeli military has established six new bases in Syria’s southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa over the past three months, further expanding its presence in breach of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Shortly after the regime’s fall, Israel intensified airstrikes throughout Syria and extended its military operations beyond the occupied Golan Heights into the demilitarised buffer zone—a region designated as neutral under the agreement brokered after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, according to Anadolu Ajansi.
The bases constructed by Israel are generally situated near strategic hills and key road junctions, particularly those in rural Quneitra, designed to directly monitor nearby villages.
Assad’s downfall
Following Assad’s downfall, Israel initially built bases within the buffer zone in the villages of Jubata al-Khashab, Qurs al-Nafal, and Al-Qahtaniyah in Quneitra, as well as one outside the zone in the village of Kwdana.
In the last three months, additional bases have been set up in Daraa’s villages of Al-Shajara, Maariya, and Abidin, and in Quneitra’s Tulul al-Humr, Al-Hamidiyah, and near the Mantara Dam—marking a continued violation of the disengagement accord.
This brings the total number of Israeli military bases in southern Syria to ten since the regime’s collapse.
The base in Tulul al-Humr is now the closest Israeli military site to Damascus, located just 40 kilometres from the Syrian capital. The largest facility in the area remains the base in Jubata al-Khashab.
Mass displacement
The expanding military presence has caused mass displacement. Approximately 6,000 people fled Al-Hamidiyah village after the Israeli army established a base there.
Israeli soldiers arrived at night and demolished 15 homes, said Mohammed Ali, a father of three displaced from Hamidiyah, to Anadolu. “We left with only our personal belongings.”
“They came at night so no one could witness their actions. As the people of Quneitra, we have always been oppressed—first by Assad, now by Israel. All I can say now is, ‘I once had a home here.’”
Ali said Israeli soldiers promised villagers would be able to return within three days. “It’s been six months.”
Destroying farmland
Mohammed Abu Fahid reported that Israeli forces damaged roughly 2,000 dunams (about 500 acres) of farmland by digging trenches and occupying areas outside the agreed buffer zone.
Living conditions in Al-Hamidiyah are dire, Abu Fahid said, adding: “Israel has only provided aid once or twice. People are in need. They opened a small clinic, but treatment is offered by Doctors Without Borders.”
“All we want is to live, raise our children, farm our land, and access water from the dam,” he stated.
In Khan Arnabeh village, Basel Osman said Israeli forces destroyed a centuries-old forest.
“Where is the international community?” Osman asked. “Life here has come to a halt. Reconstruction and tourism are paralysed.”
Security fears
“People cannot leave their homes after dark,” said Ahmet Kivan of Jubata al-Khashab. “Israel has seized farmland—the main source of income for locals. People’s economic conditions are worsening. No one moves around because they do not feel safe.”
Kivan criticised the international community for its indifference. “Human rights groups must take action.”
Mohammed Meryud, also from Jubata al-Khashab, said Israeli forces routinely set up temporary checkpoints and conduct raids.
“They prevent farmers from reaching their fields, destroy forests, raid homes, and detain young people,” he said.
“The presence of Israeli forces frightens the entire region. Their entry must be prohibited.”
