Syria has strongly condemned Israeli military excavation and construction activities along the separation line with the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Sunday described the works as a "flagrant breach" of the 1974 disengagement agreement, warning that the operations pose a direct threat to regional stability.
The condemnation targets a project known as "Sofa 53" or the "Great Storm." According to the ministry's statement, Israeli forces recently resumed excavations west of al-Asha village, located in the countryside of the southern Quneitra province. The ministry characterized these actions as part of ongoing Israeli violations within the established buffer zone.
"The continuation of the Israeli occupation’s aggressive approach, accompanied by attacks and incursions on the ground, poses a direct threat to regional security and stability and undermines international law," the Foreign Ministry warned. It urged the international community to implement deterrent measures to halt the activities and prevent future occurrences.
According to Syrian state broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya, the project involves constructing an eight-meter-wide military road flanked by earth berms approximately five meters high. The route, which also features newly established observation posts and military positions, runs along the separation line in the buffer zone.
Israel's work on the project originally started in mid-2022 near Hader in northern Quneitra. It has since expanded through several towns, including Jabata al-Khashab, al-Hamidiyah, al-Qahtaniyah, Ruweihina, Bir Ajam, and Bariqa, continuing south through al-Asha toward the junction of the Syrian, Jordanian, and Israeli borders.
Syrian reports indicate that Israeli forces have pushed between 300 and 1,000 meters beyond the ceasefire line. This military construction reportedly accelerated in late 2024, following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8, 2024. Since the fall of the regime, Israel has increased its military presence, deploying troops into the Golan buffer zone and adjacent areas.
Local residents previously reported that the expansion of the project has devastated the local economy and environment. The construction has rendered thousands of dunams of agricultural land in rural Quneitra unusable for farming and grazing, while also altering the natural landscape and disrupting local water flows.
While Syria continues to demand the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from these occupied zones and asserts its commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement, Israel maintains that its military movements in the region are conducted strictly for security reasons. The Syrian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed the country's right under international law and UN resolutions to exercise full sovereignty over its entire territory.
