Protest rallies held in Syria against repeated Israeli incursions, attacks

People in southern Syria protested repeated Israeli incursions and attacks, which they said threatened civilians and national security. The rallies followed growing Israeli military activity after Syria’s new government took power in December 2024.

One recent incursion in Daraa province killed Moaz, a man with special needs, according to Syrian state media. Israeli troops have also bulldozed olive groves, established checkpoints, detained residents, and blocked roads in Quneitra. These actions helped turn local anger into demonstrations in Damascus, Daraa city, and Homs.

Hundreds rallied in Daraa city, waving Syrian flags and demanding an end to the incursions. Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria and says it will keep troops in a southern security zone. The continuing deployments and attacks mean tensions remain high, while residents and families seek safety and the release of detainees.

A military incursion is when a country’s ground forces enter another country’s territory. It may involve soldiers, vehicles, checkpoints, or temporary control of land. An airstrike attacks from the air, without sending troops into the area. These actions can occur together, but they are not the same.

In Syria, Israeli troops entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces. Israeli forces have also bulldozed olive groves, established checkpoints, detained residents, and blocked roads. Those are signs of an on-the-ground incursion. The article separately reports hundreds of Israeli strikes, which are attacks launched from the air.

Since Syria’s new government took power in December 2024, both activities have continued. Israel says it will keep troops in a southern Syrian “security zone” and seeks a wider demilitarised area. Incursions create direct contact with residents and may change control of territory. Airstrikes can damage targets without occupying them.

Since the new government took power in December 2024, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria. It has also made frequent ground incursions, making the campaign both aerial and territorial.

Israeli troops entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights. In southern Daraa and Quneitra, troops bulldozed olive groves, established checkpoints, detained residents, and blocked roads. One incursion in Daraa reportedly killed Moaz, a man with special needs, prompting protests.

Israel says it will keep troops in a southern “security zone” and seeks a wider demilitarised area. The reported actions go beyond occasional air attacks, affecting villages, roads, farmland, and families. Strikes and incursions continue, while protests show the issue has become a national security concern. It also creates a major obstacle to calmer relations.

Quneitra and Daraa matter because they sit along Syria’s southern frontier. Quneitra borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, while Daraa connects Syria toward Jordan and Damascus. Influence there can help detect threats and shape control over southern Syria.

Since Syria’s new government took power in December 2024, Israel has repeatedly entered both provinces. It moved into the UN-patrolled buffer zone near the Golan and seeks a wider demilitarised area. In Daraa, Syria said Israeli fire killed Moaz during an incursion.

These actions give Israel greater distance from possible threats, but reduce Syria’s control over its territory. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes and recently blocked roads and advanced in Quneitra. Protests show the dispute is also becoming a national sovereignty issue for Syrians.

The buffer zone is a strip of land separating Israeli and Syrian forces near the Golan Heights. It was created in 1974 under an Israel-Syria agreement after the 1973 war. UN peacekeepers patrol it, helping prevent direct contact and renewed fighting.

The arrangement works by limiting where each side can station troops and by monitoring violations. Its purpose is separation, not permanent peace or a final settlement over the Golan Heights. The source says the zone had separated Israeli and Syrian forces since 1974, until recent Israeli troop movements challenged that arrangement.

After Syria's new government toppled Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel sent troops into the zone. Israel has since carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria and wants a broader demilitarised area in the south. These developments raise tensions and weaken the system designed to prevent escalation.

Checkpoints, detentions, blocked roads, and military attacks can make daily life unsafe and severely restrict movement. They can separate families, disrupt work, damage farms, and weaken access to essential services. Property destruction, including bulldozed olive groves, can also remove important sources of income.

In Daraa province this week, Israeli fire killed Moaz, a man with special needs, during an incursion. His death shows how incursions can directly threaten civilians, while detentions create fear and uncertainty for families. In Damascus, relatives of a Syrian man seized by Israel protested outside a United Nations building. Children held posters reading, “I want my dad.”

The article reports Israeli troops bulldozed olive groves, established checkpoints, detained residents, and blocked roads in Quneitra. These measures can isolate villages, delay travel, and reduce livelihoods, while repeated strikes deepen insecurity. Since December 2024, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes and frequent incursions, so civilians face continuing pressure.

Sovereignty means a country has the right to govern its territory without another country imposing control. Demilitarization means removing or limiting military forces and weapons in an area, often through an agreement; both protect borders and reduce escalation.

In Syria, the Golan Heights buffer zone separated Israeli and Syrian forces under UN patrols since 1974. After Syria’s new government took power in December 2024, Israel sent troops into that zone and now seeks a broader demilitarized area. Entering territory or changing its military status without agreement can violate sovereignty and make conflict more likely.

The dispute remains active: Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes and frequent incursions, while troops bulldozed olive groves, detained residents, and blocked roads. Protests followed an Israeli operation that Syria said killed Moaz, a man with special needs. Going forward, respecting Syria’s territorial authority and negotiating security arrangements could reduce harm, clarify responsibilities, and prevent wider fighting.