Israel’s expanding military operations in southern Syria: 384 ground incursions in six months

Since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, Israel has dramatically expanded its military footprint inside southern Syria. Through mid-August 2026, ground incursions, home raids, checkpoint operations, and artillery fire have become near-daily events in the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra. This article compiles the key incidents, documented patterns, human impact, and international response based on reporting from Syrian state media, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), ReliefWeb, and other sources.

The Maariya gunfire incidents

July 16, 2026: Israeli occupation forces stationed at the Al-Jazira military post opened machine-gun fire toward residential areas in the village of Ma'ariya (Maariya) in the western countryside of Daraa, according to Syrian state news agency SANA and local residents . No casualties were reported, but the shooting heightened fear and tension among villagers. The incident came two days after Israeli forces entered Ma’ariya and damaged civilian property during an incursion .

July 27, 2026: Israeli troops again opened extensive fire on residential neighborhoods in Ma'ariya from the same Al-Jazeera barracks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the fire targeted homes and was accompanied by an infantry infiltration advancing toward the village of Jamaleh . This occurred one day after Israeli drones dropped leaflets over Yarmouk Basin villages warning residents not to block roads used by Israeli patrols .

August 7, 2026: Another Israeli incursion into the western Daraa countryside involved gunfire that caused fear and tension among residents .

August 5, 2026: Israeli forces entered Mariya village in the Yarmouk Basin, searched several civilian homes, and withdrew without making arrests . That same day, a separate incursion struck Quneitra province .

Pattern of incursions and military operations

Since December 2024, Israel has carried out multiple ground incursions into Syria's southern provinces on an almost daily basis . A ReliefWeb briefing from June 19, 2026 documented that Israeli forces routinely:

• Establish temporary checkpoints in western Daraa and along Quneitra's border strip
• Search civilian homes
• Conduct military patrols
• Temporarily detain local residents

Specific documented operations include:

• July 28, 2026: Two Israeli tanks and a military vehicle crossed into the Wadi al-Raqqad area in western Daraa and opened fire .
• August 1, 2026: Six Israeli military vehicles advanced to Wadi al-Raqad and set up a checkpoint .
• August 2, 2026: Israeli forces established a temporary checkpoint on the Al-Hiran–Al-Rafid road in Quneitra, searching civilians and vehicles .
• August 13, 2026: Six Israeli vehicles advanced again into Wadi al-Raqad; the Israeli military claimed it killed several "armed militants" .

Scale of operations

SOHR reported that Israeli forces carried out 384 military operations in southern Syria during the first half of 2026, including ground incursions, raids, home searches, civilian detentions, and land-clearing activities. The monthly breakdown is: January 51, February 51, March 68, April 62, May 78, and June 74 . The Syria NGO Forum recorded roughly 300 operations or violations in June alone across the two governorates — including around 70 ground incursions and 28 raids . On July 19, 2026, SOHR documented seven ground incursions and two attacks in a single 24-hour period across Daraa and Quneitra .

Expansion after Assad's fall

Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024, Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement void, moved into the UN-monitored buffer zone, and seized strategic territory including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, which overlooks Damascus . Since then, Israel has expanded its military presence across southern Syria on an ongoing basis . The IDF's "New East" fortification project — a trench-and-berm system of 4-meter-deep, 4-meter-wide trenches along the entire Israel-Syria border — is now nearly 80% complete, further entrenching the military footprint .

Human rights violations

Residents of Daraa villages have reported:

• Disruption of farming and restricted access to agricultural land
• Constant fear of raids, arrests, and displacement

On June 29, 2026, Al Jazeera reported that a new Israeli assault in southern Syria forced families to flee their homes . Monitoring groups have documented home raids, arbitrary detentions, and interrogations of local residents and even a journalist in Quneitra . Reports also describe Israeli forces searching civilian homes during incursions, establishing checkpoints that stop and search civilians, and detaining individuals without clear legal process . The Sijil Centre for Human Rights documented an escalation in violations by Israeli forces in April 2026, with a total of 254 violations recorded — the second-highest monthly toll at that point .

International condemnation

Syria's government has repeatedly condemned the operations. The Syrian Foreign Ministry called them "a flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and urged the UN and international community to intervene .

The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has increased patrols along the ceasefire line stemming from the 1974 disengagement agreement, though a Syrian official source told Asharq Al-Awsat these patrols reflect the existing agreement, not new understandings with Israel . The UN has consistently called for de-escalation and respect for Syria's territorial integrity through UNDOF channels. Israel's entry into the buffer zone violates the 1974 Disengagement Agreement .

The Arab League Council, at Egypt's initiative, convened to establish a unified Arab stance condemning Israel's occupation of additional Syrian territories in the Golan .