Amid suspicions that hostile individuals approached two IDF posts in southern Syria, troops deployed in the area are increasingly concerned that people in nearby villages may be testing soldiers’ vigilance. The two incidents, occurring within a very short period, point to rising tension near the Israeli border.
The first incident occurred overnight between Sunday and Monday, when a 22-year-old Palestinian man living in Damascus was shot by IDF troops after approaching a military post near the Syrian village of al-Hamidiyah. The man, who was captured on the post’s surveillance cameras, was unarmed and carrying only a phone and money.
Archival: IDF troops in southern Syria
(Photo: IDF)
The second incident occurred Monday afternoon, when two Syrians riding a motorcycle approached the "Police" military post in the Quneitra area. The two were shot by IDF troops and later detained.
No IDF troops were injured in either incident, but the combination of two attempts to approach Israeli military posts inside Syrian territory has raised concern. Among the possibilities being examined is whether those involved were trying to assess how IDF troops would respond to their advance at two locations only a few kilometers apart.
Syrians are prohibited from traveling on roads in the area close to the Israeli border, and certainly from approaching the chain of military posts established by the IDF in the southern sector. The frontier in this part of Syria had remained quiet for many months, but the sequence of incidents over the past day has raised the level of alert.
The IDF is stretched across several fronts and, as in other sectors, is currently operating in Syria in a defensive posture. Some of those defensive activities also include offensive measures, though even those are significantly different in nature from the periods of active ground maneuvering in Gaza and Lebanon.
The shift in operational posture is considered a particularly sensitive period for troops, who are trying to preserve the advantages they have gained and establish a strong defensive line along the Syrian border.
At the same time, the fact that combat forces are now primarily defending rather than attacking has raised concerns about complacency and reduced sharpness, as well as the possibility that their behavior could become more predictable from an enemy’s perspective.
‘A warning sign’
Golan Regional Council head Uri Kellner and Katzrin Local Council head Yehuda Dua issued a joint statement saying: "Two significant and serious incidents in less than 24 hours are already a warning sign that cannot be ignored. We are identifying a recurring phenomenon, and it requires a determined response and a long-term security solution."
"Precisely in days when there is a sense of calm, we must not become confused and we must not return to the thinking that existed before Oct. 7," they said. "Alongside the continued IDF presence and activity in Syrian territory, the State of Israel must continue strengthening security infrastructure in Golan communities, Katzrin and the Druze villages."
The two added: "We are already calling on party leaders and those who will form the next government to commit to continuing to strengthen security in the Golan and to allocate the necessary resources, including remaining in the buffer zone and the Mount Hermon area."
"The security of Katzrin and Golan residents cannot depend on a temporary sense of calm. Our residents are entitled to the same level of security that the State of Israel is obligated to provide to all its citizens."