Syria on Sunday condemned Israel’s continued “violations” of Syrian territory, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Syria’s official news agency, reported.
It accused Israel of creating a new line of control inside Syria called the “Sufa 53 Line,” the report said.
Israel took over an area of Syrian territory on December 8, 2024, when the Assad regime fell.
The IDF has continued to operate in this area, which runs along part of the 1974 ceasefire line, essentially extending control into a buffer zone that had existed before. Previously, it was administered by the Syrian regime and patrolled by the UN.
“The Syrian Arab Republic on Sunday condemned in the strongest terms the ongoing violations committed by the Israeli occupation against Syrian territory, the latest of which was the completion of work on the so-called ‘Sufa 53 Line,’ in flagrant violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and international law,” SANA reported.
This is one of several recent indications that Syria is increasingly concerned about Israel’s role in the area, which the IDF conquered in 2024. Israel also seized the peak of Mount Hermon. Israeli officials have said the area will not be returned to Syria.
Almost 300 Israeli 'incursions' into Syrian territory in single month
Syrian media outlets frequently accuse Israel of carrying out raids inside Syrian villages and shelling them near the buffer zone. There have been more than 1,300 Israeli “incursions,” including 280 in September, Syrian news site Levant24 recently reported.
Israeli officials over the past year have accused the Syrian government of being “jihadists” and predicted that Israel and Turkey will clash over Syria.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry “said the continued aggressive approach of the Israeli occupation, along with its attacks and field incursions, constitutes a direct threat to regional security and stability and undermines international law,” SANA reported. “The ministry called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take effective deterrent measures to put an end to these violations and prevent their recurrence.”
Syria wants to see the international community pressure Israel more on this issue. It would like to see the border area demarcated and stabilized.
Israel has demanded that Syria demilitarize the areas in southern Syria near the border. Without Syrian Interior Ministry forces along the border line, there has been low-level chaos since 2024. This has also led to a power vacuum.
Syria said it detained a Hezbollah cell in the Yarmouk Basin near the Golan last week. This area is also near the Jordanian border.
Syria appears to believe that rather than reaching an agreement with Damascus, Israel is entrenching itself in Syria.
“Israeli forces resumed excavation west of al-Asha village in southern Quneitra as part of a project launched in mid-2022 inside the 1974 buffer zone,” Levant24 reported on October 4. “The works include an eight-meter military road, five-meter berms, trenches, and observation posts toward the Golan Heights.”
Israeli, Syrian officials met in Paris this year
The US had worked on an agreement between Israel and Syria toward the end of 2025 and early 2026.
On January 6, the US State Department said: “Under the auspices of the United States, senior Israeli and Syrian officials met in Paris. President Donald J. Trump’s leadership in the Middle East enabled productive discussions, centered on respect for Syria’s sovereignty and stability, Israel’s security, and prosperity for both countries. The State of Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic (the “Sides”) have reached the following understandings.”
“The Sides reaffirm their commitment to strive toward achieving lasting security and stability arrangements for both countries,” it said. “Both Sides have decided to establish a joint fusion mechanism – a dedicated communication cell – to facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement, and commercial opportunities under the supervision of the United States.”
Jordan has also been increasingly concerned and outspoken about Israel’s role in Syria.
“Jordan’s King Abdullah II renewed his warning over Israeli escalation in southern Syria in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, affirming Jordan’s support for Syria’s security and sovereignty, and urged a comprehensive de-escalation agreement that guarantees the security and sovereignty of Arab states,” Levant24 reported on October 3. “Jordan hosted the US-mediated Syrian-Israeli talks in Amman in August and co-signed the 2025 [Sweida] road map with Damascus and Washington.”