DAMASCUS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Syria's foreign affairs authorities on Monday condemned what they described as Israeli military incursions in the southern region, including the countryside of the capital Damascus, calling them a "dangerous escalation" and a blatant violation of the country's sovereignty.
In a statement carried by state news agency SANA, the foreign affairs authorities said Israeli forces made a ground incursion into Beit Jinn in the countryside of Damascus and took control over the Tal Bat al-Wardeh area in the countryside of Quneitra province.
The statement warned that such actions "represent a direct threat to peace and regional security," accusing Israel of pursuing a "hostile approach" in defiance of international law and the sovereignty of Syria.
"Syria affirms that the continuation of these violations undermines stability in the region," the statement said, calling on the United Nations (UN) and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately to deter Israel from further actions.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli forces established military positions in a strategic village southwest of Damascus, about 20 km from the Syrian capital.
According to the Britain-based war monitor, the posts were set up on August 21 in Rakhlah, a village in the Mount Hermon area that overlooks three key roads linking Damascus with Lebanon's Baalbek and Beirut.
These ground deployments follow months of repeated Israeli airstrikes in southern Syria targeting military headquarters, Sweida and Daraa provinces, and sites linked to weapons and military infrastructure. ■
