Israeli forces numbering around 60 soldiers, backed by 15 armored vehicles, advanced into the village of Oufania in Syria's Quneitra countryside on February 10, 2026, in a renewed cross-border operation.
Local sources reported the troops established temporary positions, conducted searches, and withdrew after several hours, marking the latest in a series of post-Assad raids along the disengagement line.
Syrian state media described the incursion as a violation of the 1974 ceasefire agreement, with military police monitoring from nearby hills. No clashes or casualties were reported in this specific advance, though the area has seen intermittent exchanges since Israel's buffer zone expansion following Bashar al-Assad's ouster. Residents fled homes during the operation, citing fears of permanent annexation.
Israel confirmed "targeted security activity" to neutralize threats, including alleged arms caches and militant remnants, without specifying Oufania.
The IDF stated the move secures the Golan Heights frontier amid Syria's transitional instability. Damascus lodged a UN complaint, while analysts link it to broader Israeli efforts to reshape the border amid power vacuums in southern Syria. The incursion halted local traffic and heightened tensions, with Syrian reinforcements deployed nearby. Regional observers note over a dozen similar operations since December 2025, reshaping the de facto boundary.
