Local sources from the Quneitra countryside said that there are fears that the Israeli occupation army will continue its advance in Quneitra and Daraa provinces.
The sources confirmed to Zaman al-Wasl that Israeli tanks penetrated on Tuesday into the Saida al-Golan area in the Quneitra countryside, southern Syria, and deployed military checkpoints in the area and began inspection and verification campaigns in some homes and security detachments in the area.
The incursion was attended by Israeli reconnaissance aircraft, accompanied by the participation of a warplane without carrying out any airstrikes, especially since most of the residents of the area stayed in their homes for fear of being arrested or targeted.
Since the fall of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, until Tuesday evening, the Israeli occupation army forces penetrated 10 villages and towns in the Quneitra and Daraa countrysides, southern Syria, and Mount Hermon overlooking the Golan Heights.
The Israeli forces withdrew from some of the sites it had penetrated to the borders of the buffer zone, entering and exiting those areas periodically, which raises the residents’ fears of the occupation of the area.
Meanwhile, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz criticized Israel's actions in Syria, particularly its expansionist policies beyond the Golan Heights, calling them "extremely dangerous" and detrimental to Syria’s stability, the Anadolu agency reported.
Speaking on Tuesday during parliamentary discussions on the 2025 budget for the Presidency and related institutions, Yilmaz underscored Türkiye’s commitment to fostering stability in Syria and criticized external interference.
“No country, especially Israel, has the right to do this to people who have suffered this much, who have resisted with dignity, who are trying to build their country. Their (Israel's) actions are illegitimate," he said.
Emphasizing that Syria is facing a new era, Yilmaz said Türkiye expects it to continue on its way with a permanent political structure in the following period.
He emphasized that Türkiye supports a political structure in Syria that includes all religious, ethnic and sectarian groups, advocating for Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. He stressed that no foreign entity should disrupt Syria's rebuilding efforts or impede its path toward lasting stability.
Underlining that this is also valid for the people of Gaza, the West Bank and Palestine, Yilmaz said he hopes that the Palestinian people will one day crown their longstanding struggle with victory.
On the reconstruction process in Syria, he highlighted the need for international cooperation involving the UN, the European Union and regional allies.
"Now is the time for reconstruction. We have to rebuild Syria together with its economy, institutions and infrastructure,” he said.
"We can do this together with the Syrian people,” he added.
Yilmaz also addressed the potential return of Syrian refugees in Türkiye, noting that their "dignified, safe and voluntary" return would depend on the establishment of secure and stable conditions in Syria.
"When the right conditions emerge, Syria can recover quickly,” he added.
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