"Sufa 53" expands in Syria... Israeli trenches and observation points

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On Sunday, Israeli forces returned to continue excavation and fortification work within the “Sufa 53” project in the southern Quneitra countryside, in a new step that re-sheds light on the military project that extends along the separation line with the occupied Syrian Golan.

Israeli forces continued excavation work within the separation line, west of the village of Al-Asha in the Quneitra countryside, according to what the Syrian Al-Ikhbariya channel reported, which indicated that the project known as “Sufa 53” is based on constructing a road along the separation line in the border area.

The return of Israeli vehicles to the region also coincided with the continuation of Israeli military movements in parts of southern Syria, as Syrian reports during the past days reported incursions and movements in the Quneitra and Daraa countryside, in addition to bulldozing, fortification, and the establishment of military sites.

"Sufa 53", also known as "The Great Storm", is an Israeli engineering and military project that has been gradually implemented since mid-2022 within the buffer zone in the Quneitra countryside.

It consists of constructing a military road approximately 8 meters wide, with the erection of dirt barriers approximately 5 meters high, in addition to trenches and observation points along the path adjacent to the Syrian Golan within the disengagement zone.

The project's route extends from the outskirts of the town of Hadar, north of Quneitra, passing through Jabatha al-Khashab and al-Hamidiyah, then al-Qahtaniyah, Ruwayhinah, Bir Ajam, and Buraiqa, all the way to al-Asha and the border triangle south of the governorate, according to the Syrian "Sijil" center specializing in monitoring Israeli operations, indicating that Israel is presenting it as part of its security arrangements on the border, at a time when observers believe that the ongoing engineering work contributes to imposing a new field reality within the buffer zone.

Note that the implementation of "SOFA 53" began before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, but it witnessed an acceleration in its pace since late 2024, as Israel took advantage of the transformations following the fall of the Assad regime to expand its engineering and military work in the region.

On the other hand, Israel says that its movements in southern Syria are related to “security considerations and the need to prevent potential threats on its borders,” while Damascus considers that the continuation of these movements represents a violation of its sovereignty and the disengagement arrangements signed in 1974.

An Israeli incursion into the buffer zone was also recorded in some areas, between about 300 and 1,000 metres, while local reports spoke of the cutting off of large areas of agricultural land for the benefit of the project, including about 7,000 dunums in the lands of Jabatha al-Khashab.

While the project is not concentrated in one point in the Quneitra countryside, but rather extends over a long path from the north of the governorate to its south, reports also indicate that the project work extends south towards areas close to the Syrian-Jordanian border and the Yarmouk Basin, which reflects the expansion of the scope of engineering works associated with it.

The newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" previously described the project as a "huge engineering project to fortify the border," noting that it includes deep trenches and defensive barriers, as part of the procedures for "fortifying the border."

In addition, Syrian criticism of Israeli movements in the south has escalated over the past months, as Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani previously said that Damascus monitored 65 Israeli incursions during July alone, and 52 incursions during the first 18 days of August.

The arrangements for the separation of Syrian and Israeli forces go back to the Disengagement Agreement signed on May 31, 1974, which stipulated the separation of forces and the establishment of a buffer zone between the two sides, which the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force would supervise.

UNDOF's mission is to monitor the ceasefire, supervise the implementation of the disengagement agreement, and maintain the buffer zone between the Syrian and Israeli forces.