Explosions Reported in Daraa as “Israeli” Patrol Enters Quneitra

By Staff, Agencies

An explosion was reported in western Daraa shortly after midnight on Wednesday as an “Israeli” occupation patrol entered Tal al-Kurum in central Quneitra countryside, according to Syrian sources, amid continued incursions into southern Syria.

Local reports said the near-daily incursions into Quneitra and Daraa have involved temporary checkpoints, searches of civilians and vehicles, home raids, detentions and interrogations, as well as land-clearing operations targeting agricultural areas.

The latest developments come amid heightened “Israeli” military activity in Syria, including eight airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur airbase in eastern Idlib on Tuesday that damaged its infrastructure but caused no reported injuries.

Damascus condemned the attack as a violation of Syrian sovereignty and a dangerous escalation, while a Syrian security source said the facility had been out of service for years and was being rehabilitated for the Syrian Air Force.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office claimed a Turkish deployment near Aleppo threatened "Israel", while US envoy Tom Barrack called the strikes an “unnecessary escalation” and said Damascus favored de-escalation.

For its part, Damascus rejected the strike’s justification, with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stressing there were no plans for a Turkish base at Abu al-Duhur and that the site was only being rehabilitated. He said Damascus had informed “Israel” that the base would remain under Syrian sovereignty and later protested the strike to Washington and other countries.