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By Jason Ditz / Antiwar.com
Israeli ground troops have carried out multiple ground raids across southwestern Syria over the weekend, including overnight raids in the Quneitra Governorate overnight Saturday, which led to the capture of multiple “suspects” who have not been conclusively identified and appear to simply be local Syrians.
On Friday, Israeli troops attacked farmers near Jubata al-Khashab, first opening fire on them while they were actively farming their own land then confiscating a tractor in the area because the tractor was trying to haul away trees within the area which Israeli military bulldozers had recently knocked down. Three Syrians were captured in that incident.
Israel has been engaged in deforestation in Quneitra in recent months, and farmers have reported intermittently that that has caused problems with groundwater. That is doubly difficult for them as Israeli ground troops have seized control of many of the fresh water sources in the area, preventing irrigation.
The raid on the tractor was just the start of this operation, though. Overnight Saturday, the IDF reported raiding at least four locations in Quneitra, claiming they were targeting “terrorist elements” and captured a number of additional “suspects” in the process. No evidence was given these suspects were doing any more than the captured tree haulers were.
The Israeli officials made much of the idea that they seized “trafficked weapons” in the operations, though given they raided four sites the photo that they released (see above) showed only three actual weapons, some old ammunition boxes and clips, and one stray green colored helmet.
Israel has recently been engaged with the Syrian government in deescalation talks, though it does not appear to functionally matter within the southwest, where Israeli ground troops continue to operate with impunity in Syrian territory.
Israel invaded this part of Syria virtually immediately after the Assad government was ousted in December. The invasion has continued to expand and now reports are putting ground troops within 20 km of the capital city of Damascus.
Though publicly Israel tries to maintain the pretext that this incursion is purely defensive, and in some vague way not permanent, locals are seeing that in practice, Israel controls the area and can and will raid their towns and villages seemingly at will, searching homes, interrogating locals, and hauling some of them away on suspicion.
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Jason Ditz
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.