Israeli army carries out third incursion in a month into Syria near Golan Heights

Israeli forces have carried out another incursion into the southwestern Syrian province of Quneitra, near the occupied Golan Heights, the Free Houran Gathering group said.

The Syrian opposition media group, which monitors southern Syria, said the incident was the third Israeli incursion into Syria in October.

The Israeli army advanced over the past two days and entered around 500 metres into Syrian-held territory near the town of Al-Hurriya. The army incursion included bulldozers and heavy excavators.

Israel, which has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967, is seeking to reinforce its positions against potential threats as it wages war on Lebanon and Gaza.

"So far, the clear goal of these moves is that Israel wants to prevent any groups linked to Hezbollah and Iran from approaching the border strip," activist Asem al-Zoubi, a member of the Free Houran Gathering, told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Israeli forces previously entered Syrian-held territory on 14 October near the border town of Al-Asbah, bringing in armoured vehicles and Merkava tanks. The army bulldozed the land and created earthen barriers, and paved new roads to facilitate army transport.

Syrian regime forces near the area did not respond to the incursion.

Al-Zoubi said that so far there are "no indications that Israel wants to make a major incursion or take control of Quneitra", particularly given the presence of Russian forces in some areas.

On Thursday, Israeli forces shelled areas of Quneitra with heavy artillery, and earlier on 18 October entered farmlands near the town of Kodna. The Israeli army bulldozed agricultural lands and annexed the area to the Israeli side by placing barbed wire.

Earlier this week, the Financial Times reported that satellite imagery had shown that Israel had dug a 7km-long trench tracking the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria.

The reinforcement of Israeli positions in the area comes as Tel Aviv is carrying out an air and ground attack on Lebanon, engaging in heavy clashes with Hezbollah while killing hundreds of civilians in .

Hezbollah has a presence in Syria, where it backed the regime of President Bashar al-Assad against rebel groups since 2011.