Farmer Mohammed al-Shannour lost around 400 olive trees on his land in Saida al-Hanout (southern Quneitra countryside, southwestern Syria) after Israeli vehicles bulldozed them during an incursion into the area.
The incident comes amid repeated incursions into parts of the governorate, accompanied by the bulldozing of farmland, gunfire and civilian detentions. These actions restrict residents’ access to their fields and threaten their livelihoods, particularly as the olive harvest begins.
Mohammed told Enab Baladi that the bulldozing came without warning and that there had been no indication it would happen.
He added that he now rarely visits his land, about 2.5 kilometers from his home in Saida al-Hanout, because of the constant presence of Israeli army patrols and restrictions on residents.
Several areas of the Quneitra countryside experience continuing Israeli incursions involving stun grenades, gunfire directed toward farmland, house searches and the bulldozing of land and olive trees, according to Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Quneitra.
Twenty Years of Work Lost
Mohammed al-Shannour began working his land in 2005. The plot covers 11 dunams and contained 400 trees. He spent 20 years tending it, but “it was bulldozed in half an hour, and all those years of hard work and effort went to waste,” he said.
Mohammed also has another olive grove that he cannot reach, and he knows nothing about its condition.
He said he had been counting on the harvest to repay part of his debts. Instead, his grove was reduced to a pile of firewood, which he took home for heating. He is trying to gather the olives that fell to the ground, although collecting them has proved extremely difficult.
Mohammed is seeking compensation for his losses through United Nations forces.
Syrian farmer Mohammed al-Shannour’s field after Israeli bulldozers cleared the land and cut down olive trees in Saida al-Hanout, Quneitra, October 25, 2026 (Enab Baladi/Abdullah al-Wanny).
Abdullah Shannour, another farmer from Mazraat al-Hanout (southern Quneitra countryside), described other restrictions residents face while working their land and grazing their livestock.
He said Israeli forces had fired live ammunition, killing three sheep belonging to a resident, Hashem Hamad. He added that they targeted people moving through the area, particularly shepherds.
He said the restrictions also affected agricultural workers, and that Israeli forces had detained two people while they were harvesting olives in al-Razaniyah (southern Quneitra countryside).
In the northern Quneitra countryside, farmers whose groves lie near the barbed-wire fence face similar fears.
On October 18, Israeli forces bulldozed olive trees during an incursion through the Abu al-Ghaithar Gate, opposite Mazraat al-Hanout in Saida (southern Quneitra countryside).
Olive cultivation is economically and agriculturally important in Quneitra. It supports a broad production chain, from planting and harvesting to pressing olives and producing oil, while providing income for rural families across the governorate.
Rainfall this year improved the overall condition of olive trees, benefiting production compared with the previous season.
The main olive varieties grown in Quneitra include Istanbuli, Qaisi and Dan.
According to Quneitra’s Agriculture Directorate, olive cultivation covers 6,815 hectares, with approximately 1,074,000 trees. This season’s expected production is 12,925 metric tons of olives and 2,068 metric tons of olive oil.
Continuing Israeli Violations
On October 24, Israeli forces detained three young men from Jubata al-Khashab (northern Quneitra countryside).
The Israeli army also detained a young man during an incursion into the Quneitra countryside on October 22, as Israeli aircraft flew overhead.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Quneitra reported at the time that Israeli soldiers detained Firas Qassem from Taranja (northern Quneitra countryside) while advancing into the village and searching several homes.
On October 18, the correspondent also reported that Israeli forces advanced toward Tal al-Ahmar, near Ain al-Nouriya (northern Quneitra countryside), and fired stun grenades before ascending the hill. Once there, they opened fire toward farmland around al-Amal Farms and Ain al-Nouriya.
An Israeli patrol also advanced toward Tal al-Hamriya and the village of al-Hurriya (northern Quneitra countryside), while reconnaissance drones flew overhead.
In the central Quneitra countryside, Israeli forces entered the village of al-Ajraf with around 15 military vehicles. Soldiers deployed among homes and searched civilian houses, according to the correspondent.