Damascus (Diplomat.so) - Israeli forces fired more than 10 mortar shells toward the outskirts of Taranja village in northern Quneitra countryside on Monday, as military units simultaneously advanced into the town of Jbata al-Khashab in southern Syria, according to Syrian state media and local monitoring groups.
The Syrian Arab News Agency reported that Israeli military vehicles entered Jbata al-Khashab and established a temporary checkpoint at the town’s entrance, where civilians and passing vehicles were stopped for inspection. No arrests were immediately reported, though residents described heightened tension and restricted movement across nearby farming areas.
The mortar shelling targeted land surrounding Taranja village, an agricultural area close to the disengagement line in Quneitra province. Residents said explosions were heard across neighboring communities during the afternoon hours, sending farmers and families indoors as smoke rose from fields near the impacted zone.
"The shelling caused panic among residents, especially farmers working close to the targeted areas,” said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in remarks monitored by Diplomat News Network. He added that Israeli military activity in the region has intensified in recent weeks amid growing security concerns along the frontier.
Local resident Ahmed al-Hassan, a farmer from the outskirts of Taranja, told Diplomat News Network that people abandoned agricultural work shortly after the bombardment began. "We heard repeated explosions within minutes. Families became fearful because the shelling happened close to cultivated land and access roads,” he said.
The reported incursion followed a separate Israeli military advance on Sunday into the village of Ruwaihina in northern Quneitra countryside, according to local officials and monitoring organizations. Syrian authorities have repeatedly condemned such operations, describing them as violations of Syrian sovereignty and international law.
Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, a move not internationally recognized. The United Nations continues to regard the territory as occupied Syrian land. Damascus has consistently called for Israel’s withdrawal from areas it says are under illegal occupation and has urged the international community to intervene diplomatically.
Political analysts say renewed military activity near Quneitra reflects broader regional instability linked to the Syrian conflict and continuing security tensions involving armed groups operating near the border zone. Observers also note that repeated cross-border incidents risk further disrupting civilian life in southern Syria, where communities continue to face economic hardship, infrastructure damage, and limited public services after more than a decade of conflict.
Residents in northern Quneitra said movement remained limited Monday evening as concerns persisted over the possibility of additional military operations in the area.
