Israeli forces have launched a new incursion into southern Syria, Syrian state media reported, as authorities in Damascus accuse Israel of repeated violations of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement.
The state-run SANA news agency said Israeli forces advanced near the villages of Maariya and Abdeen in the Yarmouk River basin, in the west of Deraa province.
According to local authorities, a unit consisting of about 20 soldiers, three Hilux vehicles and one military jeep was deployed between the two villages between 6 and 8 am local time, after which it withdrew.
SANA also reported that Israeli forces entered the villages of Ain al-Ziwan and Suwaisa in the southern rural part of neighboring Quneitra province a day earlier.
The Syrian authorities state that Israel repeatedly conducts incursions and ground clearance operations in the south of the country, which, they claim, violates the provisions of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement.
The raid in southern Syria comes at a time of increased military activity in other parts of the country as well. The Syrian army said earlier that it had taken control of more than 30 towns and villages in the eastern part of Aleppo province, including the city of Maskana, and had launched operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Deir Hafer area.
The SDF accused Damascus of violating the internationally brokered agreement, claiming that government forces had entered some areas before their fighters had fully withdrawn, which they said had created a dangerous security situation. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said his forces would withdraw east of the Euphrates River.
Meanwhile, the Syrian army declared the area west of the Euphrates a closed military zone, warning civilians to stay away from the positions of PKK fighters and other armed groups.
(Vijesti.ba)
