Syria’s Quneitra Under ‘Curfew’ Amid Israeli Occupation, Escalating Incursions

Taxi stand in the town of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taxi stand in the town of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Syria’s Quneitra Under ‘Curfew’ Amid Israeli Occupation, Escalating Incursions

Taxi stand in the town of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taxi stand in the town of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Visitors to towns in Syria's Quneitra governorate today notice a near-complete silence in the streets, with locals comparing it to a “curfew.” This is due to Israel occupying some villages and advancing into others.

Arriving at the outskirts of Khan Arnabah from the “Al-Salam Highway,” it's striking to see the entrance nearly empty of both people and cars.

The same scene is visible at the town's main roundabout, where four major roads branch out, leading to other towns and villages. Business activity along the roadside shops remains low.

At a corner, several taxi drivers wait for passengers, but with no success, prompting some to leave.

While some speculate that the quiet is due to Friday being a public holiday, a taxi driver insists that this situation persists throughout the week, with only slight improvements on regular days.

“The situation is very bad. There’s no work. It feels like a curfew here,” said a man, identifying himself as “Abu Mohammed,” to Asharq Al-Awsat.

With a deep sense of despair, he explained that the cause of this situation is Israel’s occupation of towns and villages in the province and its growing incursions into others, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8th.

“Last Wednesday at midnight, fear gripped the residents of Khan Arnabah due to loud explosions. It turned out they were caused by Israeli soldiers blowing up munitions and weapons at munition depot... at the entrance to the village of al-Jobeh.” Abu Mohammed added.

Two weeks ago, they stormed other military bases at the entrance to the village of Al-Samdaniah Al-Sharqiya, which lies to the west of Khan Arnabah. Their vehicles and soldiers also reached the roundabout.

Another taxi driver points out that Israeli soldiers have occupied the “government complex” in Al-Salam city, about 3 km west of Khan Arnabah, which houses several government departments.

“The complex is disabled because they've set up a large earthen barrier to prevent locals and employees from reaching it. It’s now a center for their tanks and vehicles. They also raided the city’s bakery, forcing residents away under the pretext of searching for weapons, as well as the cultural center and the telephone administration,” they added.

“The occupying soldiers terrorize the locals during their raids on towns and villages, imposing curfews and threatening to target anyone who steps outside,” the driver confirmed.

Among the villages Israel has occupied since the fall of Assad’s regime is Al-Hurriyaا, which falls under the administrative jurisdiction of Khan Arnabah, located 5 km to the west.



Egypt, Spain Reject US Plan to Displace Gazans

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold a signed agreements following their meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold a signed agreements following their meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt, Spain Reject US Plan to Displace Gazans

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold a signed agreements following their meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold a signed agreements following their meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2025. (EPA)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday rejected a controversial proposal by US President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians from the war-devastated Gaza Strip.  

The Arab League is scheduled to hold an extraordinary meeting in Cairo on March 4 in response to Trump's plan to take over Gaza and permanently move its Palestinian inhabitants elsewhere, including to Egypt and Jordan, and then redevelop the coastal territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East".  

Speaking in Madrid ahead of the gathering, Sisi called for the "international community's support and adoption of a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing the Palestinian people -- I repeat, without displacing the Palestinian people -- from their land, which they cling to, and their homeland, which they do not agree to relinquish".

Sanchez, one of the staunchest defenders of the Palestinian cause within the European Union, agreed, saying "Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and is part of the future Palestinian state".

"Their expulsion would not only be immoral and contrary to international law and United Nations resolutions, but would also have a destabilizing effect," the Socialist premier added.  

The two leaders also signed a declaration upgrading Egypt-Spain relations to a "strategic partnership", as well as several memorandums of understanding in various fields including illegal migration and defense.  

Trump's plan sparked an outcry from Arab governments as well as from world leaders, and the United Nations warned against "ethnic cleansing" in the Palestinian territory.