Israel steps up ground incursions in S. Syria: war monitor

DAMASCUS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces have stepped up ground incursions into southern Syria since the beginning of February, affecting civilians and agricultural areas in the provinces of Quneitra and Daraa, Britain-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

According to the Observatory, at least eight Israeli incursions were documented between Feb. 1 and Feb. 5, involving armored vehicles, tanks and temporary military checkpoints set up inside Syrian territory.

The operations reportedly included searching civilian homes, brief detentions, leveling farmland, and restricting local movement, particularly affecting farmers, shepherds and residents near the disengagement line.

The situation escalated on Feb. 5 with a 16-year-old boy detained in Ruwaihina village, whose fate remained unclear at the time of reporting, the Observatory said.

The incursions are continued violation of Syrian sovereignty that have heightened tensions and disrupted daily life for residents in southern Syria, it added. ■