Israeli forces have intensified operations along Syria’s southern frontier, staging a ground incursion on 24 August into the Quneitra villages of Bareeqa and Bir Ajam with an armoured vehicle and two troop-carrying cars, according to Syria’s state news agency. The patrol, described as the third such advance this month, violated the 1974 disengagement lines, Damascus officials said. Late on 26 August, Israeli units fired illumination flares over the nearby town of Suwaisa and, hours later, a drone strike hit a Syrian Army installation at al-Kiswah, south-west of Damascus. Casualty estimates vary: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported two soldiers killed and six wounded, while Al Jazeera cited military sources putting the death toll at seven. Separate tallies from French and Indonesian outlets spoke of at least three to four fatalities, including a civilian. The same evening, Lebanese media said Israeli armoured vehicles crossed the Blue Line near Ayta al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, signalling a broader regional push. Israel has not commented on the incidents, but they follow months of air and ground raids it says are aimed at denying Iranian-backed militias a foothold after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad last year. Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the incursions and strikes as a “serious breach” of sovereignty and urged the UN Security Council to intervene. Neighbouring Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also criticised the attacks. With no sign of de-escalation, diplomats warn that Israel’s campaign, coupled with Syria’s internal fragmentation, risks opening a wider front across the Golan Heights and beyond.