Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait on Sunday condemned Israel's completion of work on the so-called "Sufa 53 Line" in Syria's Quneitra province. The three states said the project violates Syrian sovereignty, international law and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
Quneitra, southern Syria © SNN
Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait on Sunday condemned Israel's completion of work on the so-called "Sufa 53 Line" in Syria's Quneitra province. The three states said the project violates Syrian sovereignty, international law and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
The statements, reported by Syrian state news agency SANA, came as Israeli forces pushed ahead with more clearing and excavation.
On Sunday they launched extensive land-clearing operations near the village of Al-Asha in southern Quneitra, using military bulldozers and heavy equipment to widen the earthen berm that forms the line. More than seven bulldozers and military vehicles also advanced southwest of Al-Rafid, where troops continued digging a deep trench near the disengagement line, inside Syrian territory.
Israel began the project in mid-2022 inside the buffer zone. It runs from the vicinity of Hader through Jubata Al-Khashab and Al-Hamidiya to Al-Asha and the southern border tri-point. The line includes a military road, trenches and earth berms.
Qatar called the work a flagrant breach of international principles and urged the world to compel Israel to comply with UN resolutions. Jordan said the measures violate the UN Charter and Israel's obligations under the 1974 agreement.
Kuwait described the incursions as a dangerous escalation threatening regional security. Turkey, a key backer of the Syrian government, issued its own condemnation on Monday. Syria's Foreign Ministry called the completion of the project a breach of the 1974 agreement and demanded effective international measures to stop the violations.
Israel says its movements in the area are driven by security considerations.
The Israeli military has limited confidence in the Islamist government in Damascus and wants to prevent threats from taking hold near the Golan Heights.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel has extended its presence in southern Syria, edging closer to Jordan's northern border. The dispute adds to a widening split between Israel and Turkey over Syria's post-Assad security order.
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