Israeli forces shell Syria’s Quneitra countryside in artillery attack

Israeli forces shelled the northern countryside of Syria’s Quneitra province with artillery Thursday, according to state news agency SANA.

It reported that “Israeli occupation forces targeted the vicinity of the village of Al-Samadaniyah Al-Gharbiyah in the northern countryside of Quneitra with three artillery shells.”

The shells landed in agricultural land surrounding the village, causing no injuries, said the agency.

Syrian authorities did not comment on the shelling, and the motive behind it was not immediately known. The attack comes amid continuing Israeli violations in southern Syria.

Southern Syria has witnessed repeated Israeli incursions, including the establishment of military checkpoints, searches of civilians and homes, and the detention of civilians, in what Damascus describes as violations of the country’s sovereignty.

Following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement defunct and occupied a buffer zone in Syrian territory. Damascus has reaffirmed its commitment to the agreement and demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas they have occupied.