Israeli Military Actions Persist in Southern Syria and Lebanon Despite US-Brokered Diplomatic Efforts

Israel has carried out attacks and ground raids in southern Syria, while intensifying air strikes and demolitions across southern Lebanon, despite separate US-backed diplomatic tracks aimed at ending hostilities. Israeli forces have shelled a Syrian town and entered another near the occupied Golan Heights in the past 24 hours, pro-government media said, in the first such breach since the two sides met in Amman to discuss a security deal at the beginning of this week.

The US-brokered meeting on Sunday discussed halting Israeli attacks on Syria and the return of Israeli forces to a 1974 armistice line adjacent to Golan, the strategic plateau occupied by Israel for almost six decades. Attacks and incursions have escalated in the past two months, with Israel accusing Turkey of expanding its military presence in Syria. Turkey is the most powerful regional backer of Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara, who commanded militant brigades that overthrew Bashar Al Assad on December 8, 2024. The new leader quickly changed direction, aligning with the US and abandoning previous anti-Israeli rhetoric.

Israeli forces on Wednesday entered the village of Turnejeh in Quneitra governorate, near the 1974 line, and searched a house there, Syrian state television said. They shelled the outskirts of Beit Jinn, 10km to the north-east, with no reported casualties. Meanwhile, Israel carried out intensified strikes across southern Lebanon, targeting Ali Al Taher Hill near Nabatieh, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. Despite a US-mediated ceasefire in effect in Lebanon, Israeli troops continue to occupy dozens of Lebanese villages as part of a self-declared “yellow line” buffer zone, pushing beyond it to expand control.

Amid these developments, US envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack has called for de-escalation following tensions over an attack on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border. On Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz visited Mount Hermon, emphasizing ongoing military operations to protect Israeli borders and monitor the situation in Damascus.