Israeli forces storm the Syrian town of Jubata al-Khashab near the occupied Golan Heights. (By Getty)

Damascus, December 25 (RHC)-- The Israeli military has expanded its invasion of the province of Quneitra in southwestern Syria, forcing the locals there to hand over their weapons to the regime’s occupation forces.

Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network said Israeli forces had fanned out across the provincial capital’s countryside.  The troops then ordered the locals and notable figures in the areas to surrender their arms.

Local sources recently were quoted as saying that the Israeli military had transferred more military hardware from Syria’s Tel Aviv-occupied Golan Heights to the province that is situated inside the occupied region.

According to locals, Israeli troops had invaded the town of Jubata al-Khashab in the province.  They said Israeli troops had occupied Quneitra’s provincial government offices, turning them into a military site and positioning themselves on the facilities’ rooftop.

Meanwhile, Israeli helicopter gunships and spy drones are reportedly flying across the province’s airspace as well as the Hawz Yarmouk District in the western part of the neighboring province of Dara’a.

Recently, it was reported that the Israeli military had occupied as much as 95 percent of Quneitra.

The developments take place amid markedly intensified Israeli aggression against Syria’s civilian and military infrastructures in the aftermath of the Arab country’s takeover by Western and Israeli-backed militants.

The regime had also ramped up its attacks against Syria in the run-up to the takeover in an apparent attempt at paving the way for the fall of the country’s government and the country’s invasion by the militants.

This is while numerous regional and international states and organizations have emphasized preserving the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.