The Israeli army detained a shepherd amid incursions in rural Quneitra (southwestern Syria) today, Friday, May 8.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Quneitra said an Israeli army patrol detained the young man Ghaith al-Asoul from the village of Sida al-Hanout in southern rural Quneitra, during the patrol’s incursion around the village from the direction of Abu Ghaithar gate.

He explained that the arrest took place while the shepherd was grazing cattle on the western side near the barbed wire.

An Israeli army patrol also advanced into the village of al-Razaniyah in southwestern rural Quneitra, the correspondent added.

The Syrian news agency, SANA, said the Israeli army force that advanced into the area consisted of six military vehicles. It moved toward the village of Sida al-Hanout, stopped for a period west of the village, blocked the path of several livestock herders, and detained one of them.

This came as part of the policy of pressure practiced by the Israeli army against residents of the area, according to SANA.

SANA noted that the force advanced toward the village of al-Razaniyah and set up a checkpoint at the village junction leading to Sida Golan, before withdrawing from the area.

Israeli army incursions continue in rural Quneitra, alongside searches, raids, arrests, the installation of checkpoints on roads, and expansion operations that included bringing prefabricated rooms to eastern Tal al-Ahmar.

Shells Toward Agricultural Land

The Israeli army fired several shells toward the land in rural Quneitra on May 1.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Quneitra said Israeli army forces fired five shells from the Hamidiyah base toward agricultural land west of al-Mantara Dam in northern rural Quneitra.

The Quneitra Media Directorate said at the time that the Israeli army fired five mortar shells from the Hamidiyah military base in northern rural Quneitra toward the western outskirts of al-Mantara Dam in central rural Quneitra, with no information about damage.

For its part, SANA confirmed that no injuries were recorded after mortar shells fired by Israeli forces fell west of the dam.

In the morning, the sound of an explosion was heard around Ruwayhina Dam and near the village of al-Zubayda, caused by the detonation of ammunition remnants from the time of the former regime.

Israeli army artillery shelling of empty areas is repeated as a training activity, but it causes fear and anxiety among residents of nearby areas.

Israeli Expansion in Eastern Tal al-Ahmar

Southern rural Quneitra witnessed a field escalation over the past period, with Israeli military movements that included bringing prefabricated rooms to eastern Tal al-Ahmar, alongside incursions and the setting up of checkpoints in several areas.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Quneitra said Israeli army forces moved three prefabricated rooms to eastern Tal al-Ahmar in southern rural Quneitra on April 17.

This comes as part of the expansion work at the base established on the hill after the fall of the Assad regime and the Israeli forces’ incursion into the buffer zone.

The correspondent added that Israeli army forces had earlier targeted the areas surrounding the hill with artillery shells.

Eastern Tal al-Ahmar has a strategic geographic location in the southern area of Quneitra governorate, as it lies in the buffer zone adjacent to the barbed wire.

The Syrian government is demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the sites they entered after the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, and considers this a basis for negotiations on a security agreement with Israel.

In contrast, Israeli officials have repeatedly said that their forces will not withdraw from the sites they entered, justifying this as a defense of Israeli national security.