Twelve Israeli military vehicles entered Saida al-Golan in Quneitra while Syrian and Israeli delegations were holding US-mediated talks in Paris, Syrian state media and an Al Jazeera correspondent reported. Syrian officials called the move a violation of sovereignty as negotiations continued into a second day. Local reports and monitors say near-daily incursions and Israeli strikes have intensified unrest in southern Syria; ACLED recorded more than 600 strikes across the country in the past year. Diplomatic efforts continue but no security agreement has yet been announced.
Israeli Convoy Enters Saida al-Golan Amid Israel–Syria Talks in Paris
Israeli tanks in Quneitra, Syria on December 10, 2024 [File: Bekir Kasım/Anadolu]
Twelve Israeli military vehicles entered the village of Saida al-Golan in the Quneitra countryside of southern Syria on Tuesday, an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground reported.
Syrian state media and officials described the movement as a new violation of Syrian sovereignty. The incursion occurred while a Syrian delegation was holding a renewed round of talks with Israeli counterparts in Paris under U.S. coordination and mediation, the Syrian state news agency SANA said. The negotiations were expected to continue into a second and final day.
A Syrian government source quoted by SANA said resuming the negotiations reaffirmed Damascus’s commitment to reclaiming what it called its non-negotiable national rights.
On-the-Ground Activity
Reports from local sources and international monitors say Israeli forces have increased operations in and around the Golan Heights and southern Syria since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict and the weakening of central control in parts of the country. In the Quneitra governorate, activists and residents report months of near-daily incursions that have included arrests, checkpoints and the bulldozing of land, actions that have fueled local anger and unrest.
Although some direct military confrontations have reportedly declined at times, Israeli strikes continue to be carried out by air and other means. According to a tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), more than 600 air, drone and artillery attacks were recorded across Syria in the past year — an average of roughly two strikes per day — many of which Syrian sources say have caused civilian casualties and damaged military sites.
Disengagement Agreement And Diplomatic Context
The 1974 Disengagement Agreement, brokered after the 1973 Arab–Israeli war, created a UN-patrolled buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan. Syrian official sources and commentators accuse Israel of progressively violating the agreement by extending operations beyond the buffer zone. Israeli authorities have at times argued that changing facts on the ground affect how security arrangements apply.
Syria has not mounted a large-scale military retaliation in response to recent incursions, according to available reports. International positions on the status of the Golan Heights remain divided: the United States recognises Israeli sovereignty over the territory, while most of the international community continues to reject that annexation.
Negotiations between Israel and Syria on a possible security arrangement have been held intermittently for months. Officials on both sides and mediators have expressed an interest in reducing tensions along the border, but no comprehensive deal or clear breakthrough has been announced.
Note: Some claims cited here are drawn from Syrian state media (SANA) and local reporting. Independent verification of every action or statement is not always available; where possible, we have identified the source of contested assertions.
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