Quneitra Governorate
Quneitra Governorate
مُحافظة القنيطرة (Arabic) | |
|---|---|
Map of Syria with Quneitra Governorate highlighted in red, buffer zone highlighted in light red, and occupied portions are striped in light red and gray | |
| Coordinates (Quneitra): 33°07′34″N 35°49′26″E / 33.126°N 35.824°E | |
| Country | Syria |
| Control | Israel Syria |
| Capital | Quneitra (de jure) Madinat al-Salam (de facto) |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Ahmed al-Dalati |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi) |
| Estimates range between 685 km2 and 1,861 km2 | |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 105,124 |
| • Density | 88/km2 (230/sq mi) |
| Time zones | |
| Israeli-occupied Golan Heights | UTC+2 (IST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (IDT) |
| Rest of the Quneitra Governorate | UTC+3 (AST) |
| ISO 3166 code | SY-QU |
| Main language(s) | Arabic |
Quneitra Governorate is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in southern Syria, and is notable for officially including the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, which make up the majority of its area. The governorate borders the countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, and the Syrian governorates of Daraa and Rif Dimashq. Its area varies, according to different sources, from 685 km2 to 1,861 km2. The governorate had a population of 87,000 at the 2010 estimate. The nominal capital is the now abandoned city of Quneitra, destroyed by Israel before their withdrawal in June 1974 in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War; since 1986, the de facto capital is Madinat al-Salam.
During the Syrian Civil War, most of the portions of the governorate that are not held by Israel were taken by various opposition and Jihadist forces. In the summer of 2018, the rebel-held areas in the governorate were retaken by the Syrian government.
Following the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, the resurgent Southern Front declared full control over the governorate (excluding Israeli-controlled areas). Later, Israel advanced its troops into the buffer zone amid reports of artillery strikes on local villages.