A Merkava IV tank. FILE PHOTO: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
Late on January 5, battle tanks of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shelled the outskirts of al-Hurriyah town in the southern Syrian governorate of al-Quneitra.
The town is located along the Separation of Forces Line that separates al-Quneitra from the Israeli-occupied part of the Golan Heights.
According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, the Israeli shelling targeted a wooded area in the outskirts of al-Hurriyah. A small fire erupted as a result of the attack. Nevertheless, no casualties were reported.
“The Israeli aggression coincided with intense flights of the occupation’s helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft over the area,” the agency’s reporter in al-Quneitra said.
Last year, Israeli battle tanks, attack helicopters, commando units and missile systems destroyed several small posts of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in al-Quneitra.
Furthermore, the IDF warned SAA service members in al-Quneitra, especially those serving in the ranks of the 1st Corps, against collaborating with Lebanese Hezbollah in a series of social media posts as well as in leaflets dropped over al-Quneitra on more than one occasion.
The attack on al-Hurriyah, which marks the first known Israeli combat operation against Syria in 2022, may have targeted surveillance systems of the SAA or even Hezbollah.
