U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday warned Israel not to take steps that could disrupt Syria and its new leadership, days after Israeli forces carried out a deadly operation in the country’s south, as Syrian media also reported fresh Israeli incursions in the Quneitra countryside.
"It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria's evolution into a prosperous State," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump said he was "very satisfied" with Syria's performance under former President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who made a historic visit to the White House in November.
Trump has been pushing for a security pact between Israel and Syria since Sharaa's anti-regime coalition overthrew longtime ruler Bashar Assad a year ago.
But tensions have risen over hundreds of strikes by Israel on Syria. In the deadliest so far, Israeli forces killed 13 people on Friday in an operation in southern Syria, claiming they targeted an Islamist group.
Trump said Sharaa "is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together."
He added that the United States was "doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended" to rebuild the war-torn country.
Good relations between Syria and Israel would add to his efforts for a wider Middle East peace following the fragile Gaza ceasefire in October, added Trump.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army on Monday renewed its violation of Syria's sovereignty, staging two incursions into the Quneitra countryside in the country's southwest.
Israeli army forces advanced toward the western side of Saida al-Hanout village in the southern Quneitra countryside, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
A military force, consisting of three vehicles, took position in the village, while a drone flew over Saida al-Hanout to monitor the area, the agency added.
An Israeli force, accompanied by two Humvees and two personnel carriers, also moved to the top of Tel Abu Qubays hill on the outskirts of Ein Zivan village in the southern Quneitra countryside, SANA said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army or Syrian authorities on the report.
Syrian government data shows that since December 2024, Israel has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids into the southern provinces.
After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 agreement with Syria.
