DAMASCUS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli tanks on Tuesday advanced into a Syrian village near the administrative border between the southern provinces of Daraa and Quneitra, a Britain-based war monitor reported.

Israeli forces entered the village of Saida al-Golan and inspected a military barracks of Bashar al-Assad's government near the neighboring village of al-Maqraz, searching for weapons and ammunition, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Israeli troops fired warning shots into the air to deter civilians from approaching their checkpoint, the observatory said.

The move marks an escalation in Israel's ground operations in southwestern Syria, it said.

On Monday, an Israeli military unit composed of three vehicles moved into the village of Ma'riyah in the western countryside of Daraa, said the observatory.

Israeli soldiers stationed themselves along the village's streets, searched several residents, and attempted to push toward the adjacent village of Abdin. However, local villagers blocked the Israelis from entering, said the observatory.

Israel launched a military campaign on Dec. 8 targeting any remaining military capabilities linked to Syria's former leadership, as Syria's new authorities are working to stabilize the country's security situation. Israel has also approved a plan to expand settlements in the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory currently occupied by Israel. Enditem

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