Fekry Abdeen and Ikram Kouachi
19 August 2026•Update: 19 August 2026
Israeli forces raided a town in Syria’s southwestern Quneitra province early Wednesday and abducted two people, a day after targeting a military airbase in Idlib province in the country's northwest.
Syrian state television reported that “Israeli occupation forces entered the town of Jabata al-Khashab with more than 100 personnel and 15 vehicles, abducted two people and searched homes early Wednesday.”
On Tuesday, Israeli warplanes carried out eight airstrikes targeting the runway of Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Idlib province, causing material damage to its infrastructure.
Israeli forces also shelled the Wadi area of Abdeen village in the western countryside of southern Syria’s Daraa province on Tuesday.
In two letters sent to the UN and the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Syria said that continued Israeli attacks, including airstrikes, incursions, and abductions, “hinder stabilization efforts and threaten to further increase tensions in the region.”
Southern Syria has witnessed near-daily Israeli attacks, including raids, searches, arrests, and the establishment of military checkpoints.
On July 26, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said his country was working, with the participation of several countries, to reach a security agreement with Israel, adding that “if the agreement succeeds, it will pave the way for comprehensive peace without relinquishing Syria’s right to the occupied Golan Heights.”
Israel has occupied most of Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967.
Before the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel frequently carried out strikes on positions in Syria that it claimed were linked to Iranian-backed forces.
Since Assad’s departure, Israel has vastly expanded its strikes to include weapons depots and strategic military positions throughout the country.
