Hours after Syria and Israel agreed to ease military tension, Israeli forces stormed the Syrian village of Tel Al Ahmar Al Sharqi and raised their flag on one of its buildings.
For many Syrians, the move was further evidence of Israel’s disregard for such understandings, even as some hold out cautious hope that these frameworks could help curb escalation over the longer term.
Usama Al Kouma lives in the village of Ghadir Al Bustan on the edge of the territory that Israel invaded a year ago. He told The National of the recent agreement: “The real benefit will begin when drone strikes cease targeting individuals moving around the plains.
"The agreement could also be beneficial if it halts displacement: last December, raids caused instability that prompted many to consider leaving."
Representatives of the two countries met in Paris this week for talks, overseen by US special envoy Tom Barrack. They agreed to establish a US-supervised joint "fusion" cell to co-ordinate intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and commercial ventures. The agreement made no mention of the Israelis needing to withdraw.
Israel has routinely conducted incursions into southern Syria, seizing large segments of territory, destroying houses and building military bases.
Experts have been describing the strategy as a “new security doctrine” since October 7, 2023 that is aimed at creating buffer zones – not only in Syria but also in south Lebanon, which it bombs daily.
Ahmad Sleiman, Mayor of Hamadieh in southern Syria, told The National the most important thing for residents is that Israel withdraws and commits to the 1974 agreement, which set out terms for a lasting ceasefire and established a UN-monitored buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights.
"The situation is very bad, there are many Israeli patrols," Mr Sleiman said. "We live under occupation. But with the meeting, now we are hoping that an agreement will be reached. We really hope so and we would be happy if an agreement happens, so there could be a withdrawal."
Many families in Hamadieh and nearby villages in Quneitra governorate saw their houses destroyed last year because they were near a newly established Israeli military base in the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, residents told The National when it visited the area in August.
“Our land is gone, our homes are gone and there is constant harassment," said the mayor. "We are farmers, we depend on agriculture and livestock. That is the people’s livelihood. For us, the first and fundamental condition is withdrawal. If they do not withdraw, then we gain nothing from the agreement."
Satellite imagery showed that, in addition to the one in Hamadieh, Israel has built several military bases in southern Syria, both inside and outside the UN buffer zone, an 80km strip of territory that has separated Syria and Israel since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
A soldier in Deraa, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the agreements and negotiations with Israel over southern Syria are incomplete.
“Israel wants the southern area to be free of weapons, with just the internal security and police in terms of security management," he said. "This is what Israel wants and Syria refuses this.
"No one is going to be safe with the Israelis staying in the areas they have invaded since the fall of the regime. The military and civilians reject the Israeli presence in southern Syria. The agreement contains no guarantees about the Israeli forces."
Other neighbouring countries are also watching the post-agreement developments closely.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Shibani met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Paris after talks with US and Israeli officials, Syrian and Turkish media reported. In remarks to state news agency Anadolu, Mr Fidan also said he met with Tom Barrack.
“We conveyed our views. We discussed the decisions taken for the next meeting in detail,” Mr Fidan said.
Some Turkish commentators have suggested that the agreement between Syria and Israel risks sidelining Ankara, whose influence has soared in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime.
However, Syria is under intense US pressure to strike a security deal with Israel in the hope that this will create the prospect of diplomatic ties between the countries. The establishment of such an institution would be a pivotal event in regional politics.
For now, however, stumbling blocks appear to remain as Damascus rejects Israeli demands to demilitarise a part of Syrian territory that stretches from the border to Syria's capital. In exchange, Israel says it would withdraw from the regions it has occupied since December 2024. Israel said it had security concerns when rebel forces took over Syria, ending more than five decades of rule by the Al Assad family.
A resident of Hamadieh, whose home was destroyed by Israeli forces after the fall of the Assad regime, said that whether cross-border relations improve matters less than people being able to return to a normal life and get back to their daily work.
They said: “For us, if things move forward and turn out well and in our favour on the ground, that’s what matters.”
