Daijiworld Media Network - Damascus

Damascus, Oct 20: Israeli forces have reportedly released a Syrian civilian who was detained after passing through a temporary military checkpoint near al-Alam roundabout in the Quneitra countryside on Monday, October 19.

According to reports by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) and the Hawar News Agency, Israeli military vehicles entered the area and established a temporary checkpoint near al-Alam roundabout. Soldiers searched passersby and detained a young man from the village of Rasam al-Rawadi. No immediate details were provided about the reasons for his detention.

The reported release came amid continued Israeli military movements and incursions in parts of southern Syria. On Monday, Israeli forces also entered the village of Samdaniya in central Quneitra countryside and established a temporary checkpoint near a school before withdrawing, according to Hawar News.

SANA separately reported that Israeli forces detained two civilians during an incursion into the village of al-Hurriya in northern Quneitra on Sunday, October 18.

The latest incidents come amid growing tensions in southern Syria over repeated Israeli military operations, temporary checkpoints and the detention of civilians. The Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned the incursions into Quneitra and neighbouring Daraa, describing them as violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It has called on the international community to intervene and press Israel to comply with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

The 1974 Disengagement Agreement established arrangements separating Israeli and Syrian forces following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Damascus maintains that continued Israeli incursions and military activity in southern Syria violate the agreement and has called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces.