The Syrian Future Movement has followed with grave concern and condemnation the dangerous escalation of Israeli military incursions deep inside Syria, specifically in the Daraa and Quneitra countryside. These incursions reached their peak on Sunday, March 15, 2026, when an Israeli military force consisting of 24 heavy vehicles entered the area between the towns of Taranga and Jabata al-Khashab in the Quneitra countryside. Simultaneously, a similar incursion occurred in the village of Ain Dhakar in the western Daraa countryside, where occupation forces established a military checkpoint, cutting off the road between the villages of Ain Dhakar and al-Muqraz. They then proceeded to search passersby and civilians at gunpoint, in a scene reminiscent of the worst days of occupation and its violations.
Based on local documentation networks and testimonies from residents, the Syrian Future Movement observes a systematic and escalating pattern of Israeli violations in recent weeks. From mid-February 2026 until the issuance of this statement, at least 28 Israeli ground incursions into Syrian territory have been documented. These incursions targeted the villages of Ain Dhikr, Saida al-Jawlan, Taranga, Jabata al-Khashab, al-Hanout, Tell al-Akhdar, al-Muqraz, and Wadi al-Raqad.
These incursions were accompanied by the establishment of permanent checkpoints, surprise inspection points, and field arrests that have so far targeted 17 Syrian citizens, including elderly people and shepherds. They were taken to unknown locations, and some remain in detention without charge, trial, or even access to the Red Cross.
Perhaps the most painful aspect is the daily account from residents of a life that has become impossible under the threat of occupation. In the village of al-Muqraz, farmer Abu Muhammad, 55, describes how an Israeli patrol prevented him three days ago from accessing his land, which he inherited from his father: “They came suddenly, six military vehicles. They forced us out of the tractor, searched us as if we were criminals, and then ordered us to turn back. My land is there; I see it every morning, but I can’t reach it.”
In the town of Jabata al-Khashab, Umm Ahmad, 42, recounts how an Israeli force stormed her home at dawn on March 10th and searched the rooms in front of her terrified children, without any justification. We in the Syrian Future Movement believe that these are not isolated incidents, but rather a daily policy aimed at spreading terror and breaking the will of the population, in addition to depriving them of their natural resources and bulldozing their agricultural lands, especially in the fertile Wadi al-Raqad region.
In this context, the Syrian Future Movement reiterates its firm and consistent positions since its founding, which affirm the unity of Syrian territory and its full sovereignty. In its statement issued on February 22, 2026, on the occasion of Syria assuming the presidency of the Arab Group at the United Nations, the Syrian Future Movement stressed that “restoring full sovereignty over every inch of Syrian territory, foremost among which is the occupied Syrian Golan, is a national priority that is not open to compromise or postponement.” Similarly, in our statement of March 9, 2026, commenting on the security developments in southern Syria, we affirmed that “the Syrian Future Movement categorically rejects any foreign military presence on Syrian soil, and any attempts to impose a new reality through incursions and arrests, regardless of the justifications.”
These positions represent a fundamental pillar of our vision for the future of Syria: a free and sovereign state that accepts neither guardianship nor occupation.
The Syrian Future Movement notes that, from a legal standpoint, these incursions confirm a systematic Israeli pattern of violating international law and legitimacy, and constitute a blatant breach of several binding agreements and resolutions, most notably:
- The 1974 Disengagement Agreement signed between Syria and Israel under the auspices of the United Nations, which explicitly stipulates respect for the disengagement line and prohibits either party from crossing it.
What the occupying forces are doing daily is a flagrant violation of this line and a de facto abrogation of the agreement. - UN Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967, which forms the cornerstone of the peace process, affirms the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force, and demands Israel’s withdrawal from the territories it occupied in the June 1967 war.
- UN Security Council Resolution 497 of 1981, which deemed Israel’s decision to impose its laws and jurisdiction on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights “null and void and without any legal effect internationally,” and demanded that Israel rescind it immediately.
- The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, particularly the articles relating to the protection of civilians in times of war and in occupied territories, is a grave violation of international law. The arbitrary arrest of Syrian civilians, the search of their homes, and the denial of their access to their lands and livelihoods constitute serious breaches of the Convention, amounting to war crimes.
- The UN Charter, which enshrines the principle of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, threatens international peace and security. The repeated Israeli incursions pose a serious threat to stability in the entire region.
While the Syrian Future Movement appreciates the Arab and international positions rejecting these violations, foremost among them the statement issued by the Arab Group in the Security Council, which condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli incursions and considered them a “flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter, and a threat to regional peace and security,” as well as the position of the Group of Friends of the UN Charter, which emphasized the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan, it believes that condemnation alone is no longer sufficient. The time for action, not just words, has come.
Therefore, based on field data and legal references, and in fulfillment of its national and patriotic duty, the Syrian Future Movement raises its voice with the following recommendations:
- To the Syrian government: We call on the government to escalate its diplomatic efforts at the Arab and international levels by submitting a formal complaint to the Security Council containing documented evidence of the violations, and demanding an emergency session of the Council to take deterrent measures. We also propose the formation of a specialized national team to monitor and document these violations on a daily basis, in preparation for submitting them to the International Criminal Court.
These acts constitute war crimes. We highly value the government’s firm and principled stance rejecting these attacks and support its right to restore sovereignty by all legitimate means guaranteed by international law. - To the UN Security Council: We call upon the Council to assume its legal and moral responsibility and move immediately from condemnation to action. This can be achieved by issuing a binding resolution under Chapter VII demanding that Israel immediately cease its incursions, withdraw from all Syrian territory it has occupied, and impose sanctions on settlement entities and military officials involved in these violations. We also call for activating the role of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and expanding its mandate to include documenting and immediately exposing violations.
- To the international community and human rights organizations: We appeal to all peace-loving nations and international human rights organizations, particularly Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, to document these violations, include them in their periodic reports, and work to expose Israel’s expansionist policies. We also call for increased pressure on major Western governments to end their double standards towards Israel and hold it accountable for its grave violations of international law, just as with any other country.
- To religious, cultural, and media institutions: We urge mosque preachers, religious figures, intellectuals, and media professionals to highlight the suffering of the people of the Golan Heights and the rural areas of Daraa and Quneitra, to amplify their voices to the world, and to break the wall of silence and normalization with the occupation. We also call for commemorating the occupied Golan Heights on national and religious occasions and for solidifying the Syrians’ right to their land and identity in the collective consciousness.
The Syrian Future Movement concludes its statement by affirming that the Syrian Golan Heights was and will remain occupied Syrian Arab land, and that the rights of Syrians to this blessed land, and to their holy sites, churches, and mosques, are inalienable and non-negotiable. We are fully confident that the unified will of the Syrian people, and the support of their Arab brothers and sisters and freedom-loving people worldwide, are sufficient to defeat this abhorrent occupation, reclaim every inch of our precious homeland, and build a new, free, unified, and independent Syria.
