Israel Advances 'Sufa 53' Project in Syria's Quneitra
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
Israeli forces entered Syria's northern Quneitra countryside on Sunday, setting up a temporary checkpoint and continuing land clearing for the "Sufa 53" project. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the actions as violations of the 1974 disengagement agreement. The "Sufa 53" project, launched in mid-2022, aims to create a buffer zone and is claimed by Israel to prevent attacks from Iran-backed groups. The ongoing work has led to the seizure of agricultural lands and olive groves.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israeli forces entered northern Quneitra, Syria, on Sunday, establishing a temporary checkpoint.
- The "Sufa 53" project involves clearing agricultural land in Syria's Quneitra region.
- Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli actions as violations of the 1974 disengagement agreement.
- The "Sufa 53" project, launched in mid-2022, is described as a military engineering initiative.
- Israel claims the project aims to prevent attacks from Iran-backed armed groups.
- Israeli forces previously cleared olive groves and prevented access to farmlands in the area.
Israeli forces entered northern Quneitra countryside in southern Syria on Sunday, establishing a temporary checkpoint to inspect passersby and continuing to clear agricultural land. These actions are part of the ongoing "Sufa 53" project, which Damascus has previously condemned and called for its cessation. The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that an Israeli "occupation force" entered on the road between the town of Jabat al-Khashab and the village of Ain al-Bayda, setting up the checkpoint before withdrawing. Similar incursions and the establishment of checkpoints were reported on Saturday near Jabat al-Khashab. SANA also confirmed that Israeli forces continued clearing agricultural lands west of al-Hanout farm in southern Quneitra on Sunday, as part of the "Sufa 53" line. The Syrian Foreign Ministry has denounced this as a blatant violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement and international legitimacy. The clearing operations aim to create an earthen barrier, impacting villagers' farmlands. Previously, on October 18, Israeli forces had cleared about 13 dunams of olive trees in the al-Hanout area, preventing residents from accessing their fields for the olive harvest. The "Sufa 53" project, a military engineering initiative launched by Israel in the Quneitra buffer zone in mid-2022, extends from the outskirts of the town of Hader towards villages in northern, central, and southern Quneitra. The Hebrew name "Sufa 53" translates to "Great Storm," and Israel claims its purpose is to prevent potential attacks from Iran-backed armed groups. Israel has intensified work on the project, exploiting the security vacuum following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, extending its presence 300 to 1000 meters into the buffer zone and seizing significant agricultural land. The Syrian Foreign Ministry reiterated its condemnation on October 4, calling it a "blatant violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement and a flagrant violation of international legitimacy decisions."