"Sofa 53" Expands in Syria.. Israeli Trenches and Observation Points

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On Sunday, Israeli forces returned to continue excavation and fortification work as part of the "Sofa 53" project in the southern Quneitra countryside, in a new step that brings attention back to the military project that extends along the demarcation line with the occupied Syrian Golan.

Israeli forces continued excavation work along the demarcation line, west of the village of Al-Asha in the Quneitra countryside, according to the Syrian news channel "Al-Ikhbariya," which indicated that the project known as "Sofa 53" involves the construction of a road along the demarcation line in the border area.

The return of Israeli vehicles to the area coincided with ongoing Israeli military movements in parts of southern Syria, as Syrian reports in recent days have indicated incursions and movements in the Quneitra and Daraa countrysides, along with land leveling, fortification, and the establishment of military sites.

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

A military road is being constructed, approximately 8 meters wide, with earthen barriers reaching a height of about 5 meters, in addition to trenches and observation points along the route adjacent to the Syrian Golan within the disengagement zone.

The project route extends from the outskirts of the town of Hadr in northern Quneitra, passing through Jabatha al-Khashab and al-Hamidiyah, then al-Qahṭanīyah, Ruwaihina, Bir Ajam, and Bureika, reaching al-Isha and the border triangle in the south of the governorate, according to the Syrian monitoring center "Sijil" that tracks Israeli operations, indicating that Israel presents it as part of its security arrangements on the border, while observers believe that the ongoing engineering works contribute to imposing a new field reality within the buffer zone.

It is worth noting that the implementation of "Sofa 53" began before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, but it has accelerated since late 2024, as Israel exploited the changes following the fall of Assad's regime to expand its engineering and military operations in the area.

In contrast, Israel states that its movements in southern Syria are related to "security considerations and the need to prevent potential threats to its borders," while Damascus considers the continuation of these movements a violation of its sovereignty and the disengagement arrangements signed in 1974.

Israeli incursions have also been recorded within the buffer zone in some areas between approximately 300 and 1000 meters, while local reports have mentioned the appropriation of large areas of agricultural land for the project, including about 7000 dunams in the lands of Jabatha al-Khashab.

While the project is not concentrated in one point in the Quneitra countryside, it extends along a long route from the north of the governorate to its south. Reports indicate that the project's work is extending southward towards areas close to the Syrian-Jordanian border and the Yarmouk Basin, reflecting the expansion of the engineering works associated with it.

The Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" previously described the project as a "massive engineering project to fortify the borders," noting that it includes deep trenches and defensive embankments as part of the "border fortification" measures.

In addition, Syrian criticisms of Israeli movements in the south have escalated in recent months. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad previously stated that Damascus had recorded 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 date 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, overseen by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

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