An Israeli Merkava IV Main Battle Tank. Source: idfblog.com
On September 28, a unit of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) advanced towards the town of Hader in the southern Syrian governorate of al-Quneitra.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that several bulldozers advanced first and began to demolish dirt barriers near Hader. Later, a number of main battle tanks and armored personnel vehicles advanced and took position in the western outskirts of the town.
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and local pro-government forces in Hader didn’t respond to the Israeli incursion, which constituted a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. There was also no comment from the Syrian Ministry of Defense.
The movements of the IDF unit indicate that it is on a mission to remove fortifications, not to establish a presence near Hadar or occupy the town.
The incursion came just a week after Israeli tanks targeted two two temporary structures of the SAA near Hader. Back then, the IDF alleged that the structures violated the Disengagement Agreement. The shelling didn’t result in any casualties.
The IDF carried out several strikes and ground intrusion into al-Quneitra buffer zone in the last few months to limit the movements of the SAA and alleged members of Hezbollah.
Israel believes that Hezbollah is working to establish a network of cells in southern Syria to launch attacks against the occupied Golan Heights.
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