LONDON: Almost immediately after the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime on Dec. 8 last year, Israeli troops entered southern Syria’s Quneitra province and began raiding properties. Residents recall their homes shaking as armored vehicles rolled through their normally quiet villages and troops took control of areas close to the disputed border with Israel. “It was clear from their behavior that they intended to stay,” one woman from Al-Hamidiyah village said, recalling the day Israeli soldiers raided her home.

Israel has conducted more than 1,000 air strikes and more than 400 ground incursions in Syria since al-Assad overthrow.

LONDON: Almost immediately after the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime on Dec. 8 last year, Israeli troops entered southern Syria’s Quneitra province and began raiding properties.…