Khaberni - Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli commented on the developments around the Syrian Quneitra on Tuesday, saying "The war on Syria has become inevitable."
Chikli's statements followed clips showing movements of Syrian security forces and militants near the positions of the Israeli army in the Quneitra countryside, which Tel Aviv considered a "security threat," despite the area witnessing repeated Israeli attacks and incursions and continuous violations of Syrian sovereignty for years.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that the tension incident that occurred in Quneitra between a force of the Israeli army and Syrian civilians near the city coincided with a field tour conducted by both the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Woolz, and the occupation's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, in the area.
According to the newspaper, Woolz and Danon entered Old Quneitra during the tour wearing protective gear, and conducted a field assessment of the situation. During their return to the vehicles, an "unusual incident" occurred involving disturbances and gunfire after the passage of the armed convoy, and an attempt by the Israeli army, according to its narrative, to arrest a member of the Islamic Jihad movement.
The newspaper pointed out that the ambassadors did not witness the incident directly, but they were only hundreds of meters away from its location.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Danon received an immediate briefing from the brigade commander in the area and quickly informed the American ambassador about the details of what happened, before both parties later received military briefings about "threats" on both the Lebanese and Syrian fronts. The tour also included sites in the occupied Upper Galilee and the occupied Golan Heights, as well as a meeting with a senior officer of the "UNDOF" force of the United Nations.
Syrian media published video recordings from the area of Khan Arnabeh near Quneitra, showing militants from the Syrian regime’s security forces moving in small trucks and openly carrying weapons, alongside Israeli military vehicles. According to the newspaper, at least two Syrian civilians were injured due to what the occupation army described as "warning gunfire."
The Israeli army claimed that the incident was preceded by "disruptions in order and stone-throwing" towards its soldiers, prompting them to fire in the air and retreat to safe locations. On the other hand, Syrian reports stated that a demonstration erupted in Khan Arnabeh in protest against the presence of the Israeli army and the activity of its drones in the area’s skies.
In a notable political development, the newspaper quoted American sources that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed extreme anger over statements made by the American envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, who said at the "Doha Forum" that "what has succeeded in this region more than anything else is ownership."
Netanyahu said about Barrack during his meeting with Ambassador Woolz: "He has completely lost his mind... he prefers ownership to democracy and serves Turkish interests in the region."
In a related context, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denied Arab media reports that spoke of a security agreement reached between "Israel" and Syria, describing them as "completely false news," while acknowledging that contacts had taken place under American sponsorship without reaching understandings.
At the end of the tour, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said that "the threats from the north are clear," adding: "On the Lebanese border, we closely see the army's determination to confront the growing power of Hezbollah and the Iranian threat, and on the Syrian front, we face additional challenges due to instability."
He also attacked what he described as "one-sided and distorted reports" presented to United Nations Security Council members during their recent visit to the region, according to him.
