Israeli Forces Attack Two Children in Syria’s Quneitra

(MENAFN) Two children were assaulted by Israeli military forces during an incursion into Syria’s central Quneitra countryside near the village of Bariqa on Friday, according to media.

The report detailed that an Israeli patrol attacked the minors as they were tending to livestock in the southwestern region, also seizing one head of sheep before withdrawing. The Israeli army offered no response or comment on the incident.

The attack is far from an isolated event. Israeli forces have been conducting near-daily raids deep into Syrian territory — particularly across the Quneitra countryside — detaining civilians, establishing checkpoints, interrogating locals, and systematically destroying farmland in operations that locals describe as increasingly brazen.

The relentless incursions are raising serious questions about a contact mechanism announced on Jan. 6, brokered under U.S. supervision, which was specifically designed to coordinate information exchange between Damascus and Tel Aviv, curb military escalation, advance diplomatic engagement, and explore potential trade opportunities. On the ground, little of that framework appears to be holding.

Syria has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to the landmark 1974 disengagement agreement between the two countries. Israel, however, unilaterally declared the agreement void following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024 — a move Damascus has never recognized.

For ordinary Syrians already navigating a fragile post-conflict recovery, the ongoing Israeli military presence is exacting a heavy toll. Residents warn that the incursions are strangling efforts to restore stability and actively deterring the foreign investment Syria desperately needs to rebuild its shattered economy.

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