Israel continues to operate with impunity in south-west Syria, where Israeli troops conduct regular ground incursions across western Daraa and Quneitra provinces. Artillery attacks on communities along the Quneitra border strip occur on a weekly basis, though without incurring casualties in recent weeks. Several long-term detainees from south-west Syria held by Israel were released this path month; around 150 relatives of other detainees protested outside UN headquarters to demand the release of their family members.
The marked increase in assassinations and targeted killings in recent weeks—ETANA recorded 14 incidents of targeted killings in July—has unfolded amid persistent concerns over the reliability, cohesion and professionalism of local security forces. Interim authorities are making some efforts to strengthen accountability and professional standards within the Internal Security apparatus—or at least premeditate public backlash. Nevertheless, these measures remain overshadowed by earlier missteps and deeper structural challenges. Consequently, interim authorities have much further to go before these efforts can be treated as meaningful signs of institutional reform.
Israeli Activity
Israeli forces conducted repeated artillery bombardments of communities along the western Daraa and Quneitra border strip throughout July, with rounds striking the outskirts of Abidin, Jamleh, Kudnah Ma’ariyeh, Tal Ahmar and Taranjeh on a near-weekly basis, though without causing casualties. In the most serious incident of the month, an Israeli strike on a vehicle near Hader killed two Syrian Hezbollah-affiliated members. Israeli forces also opened fire on youths blocking roads with stones west of Jamleh, wounding two with moderate injuries, and struck the outskirts of Abidin and Ma’ariyeh with drones and medium weapons on several occasions to disperse gatherings or reopen blocked roads.
Israeli ground forces continued conducting regular incursions across a wide swathe of western Daraa and Quneitra, with near-daily temporary checkpoints and patrols recorded at Ba’ath City, Bureiqah, Jamleh, Jubata al-Khashab, Kudnah, Ma’ariyeh, Mantarah, Al-Rafid, Saida al-Jolan and Al-Samdaniyeh throughout the month. Larger operations included searches with tanks in Al-Mu’allaqah and incursions into Ruyhaniyeh and Sadd Ruyhaniyeh, where residents pelted Israeli forces with stones. Israeli settlers also briefly entered the outskirts of Ma’ariyeh and, separately, territory north of Hader, before being withdrawn by Israeli forces.
Forces also carried out several short-term detentions during incursions, generally releasing detainees within hours, though longer-held cases also concluded this month. One man from Nafi’ah was arrested during an incursion into Saida al-Jolan before being taken into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, while residents of Al-Mu’allaqah, Al-Samdaniyeh and Taranjeh were briefly detained during separate incursions. Several longer-term detainees were released after extended periods in Israeli custody, including a 16-year-old boy after roughly one year in detention.
Farmers from Abidin, Jamleh, Koyah and Ma’ariyeh are still denied access by Israeli forces to agricultural land west of their communities throughout the reporting period. Roughly 800 residents of Beit Jinn remained displaced amid fears of renewed incursions, having been identified by administration officials as families of fighters who confronted Israeli forces during an earlier raid and advised not to return for now.
Security Developments
Internal Security conducted a steady stream of raids and arrest operations in response to an increase in assassinations and other bouts of unrest. Additionally, the Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of an alleged ISIS cell leader and three others in an Inkhil raid.
Internal Security forces carried out consecutive raids in the western Daraa countryside targeting alleged traffickers. Additionally, a shipment of roughly 400,000 Captagon pills and 20 kilos of hashish was intercepted en route from western Homs through Tafas. Daraa authorities also arrested two suspects linked to an alleged smuggling network, seizing around 200,000 Captagon pills and balloons.
Sectarian tensions are strained across the region, even as conflicts in Suwayda have eased and inter-communal violence has remained muted compared to previous months. In one such incident, leaflets distributed in Jaddiyeh ordered approximately 500 Shia residents to leave their homes within 15 days, raising tensions among neighbors.
Instability in South Syria
Targeted killings rose sharply this month, with 14 separate incidents recorded during the month of July. Armed confrontations tied to family disputes and accusations of former regime ties also continued across the province in recent weeks.
Protests have continued in the region, fueled by various causes and grievances that included public transport drivers demonstrating in Damascus against relocation of the southern bus terminal, families in Inkhil and Nassib demanding the release of detainees over multiple consecutive weeks, and 150 relatives of south-west Syrian detainees held by Israel gathering at the UN headquarters at Naba’a al-Fuwwar to demand their release.
