Israeli army resumes 'Sofa 53' fortification work in Golan buffer zone

Israeli forces have resumed construction on the "Sofa 53" military project in the Quneitra buffer zone as incursions into Syrian villages continue.

• Israeli troops resumed digging and erecting earth berms west of al-Asha village in southern Quneitra countryside on Sunday.
• The project, begun in mid-2022, entails an eight-meter road with five-meter berms, observation posts and trenches along the 1974 disengagement line.
• On Saturday Israeli forces fired at homes in Sayda al-Jolan village and targeted journalists covering the incursion, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
• President Ahmad al-Sharaa reaffirmed Syria's commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement and demanded Israeli withdrawal to the December 2024 lines.
• The works extend from Hadar in the north to al-Asha in the south, local sources said.
• Local estimates put the damage to agricultural land and pasture at about 12,000 dunams.
• Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's completion of the 'Sofa 53' line, calling it a blatant violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.
• SANA reported Sunday that more than seven bulldozers and military vehicles dug a deep trench near the ceasefire line inside Syrian territory.
• Israeli drones were deployed to monitor and track journalistic delegations entering the area, SANA said.