DAMASCUS — Hundreds of Syrians rallied across Syria on Friday, October 23, condemning repeated Israeli incursions in the country's south, AFP correspondents and Syrian state media reported.
Source: AFP via Arab News
Demonstrations were held in Damascus, Quneitra, Homs and Hasakah, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. In the capital, hundreds gathered outside the United Nations building in the Mazzeh district, calling for an end to Israeli military operations and respect for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Source: AFP via Arab News
Relatives of people killed or detained by Israeli forces joined the Damascus demonstration, SANA reported, while residents including women and children protested in Quneitra, and similar gatherings took place in Homs' New Clock Square and the Ghuwayran neighbourhood of Hasakah.
Source: AFP via Arab News
Protests followed a deadly village raid
The protests followed Thursday's killing in the village of Jamla in the western Daraa countryside. Residents told the Associated Press that the man who was killed was unarmed when Israeli soldiers shot him during the operation, Arab News reported. SANA said Israeli forces entered the village's eastern neighbourhood and deployed snipers on the rooftops of residential buildings.
Source: AFP via Arab News
The Israeli military said its soldiers had identified a person approaching them during an operation and opened fire after he continued advancing despite warnings, and that the incident was under review, Arab News reported.
Source: AFP via Arab News
Syria's foreign ministry condemned the killing, held Israel responsible and described attacks on civilians as violations of international law, according to the Arab News report. It called on the international community to intervene to halt the incursions, warning that continued operations threatened regional stability and undermined Syria's recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Source: AFP via Arab News
Incursions reported again on Friday
Israeli incursions continued on Friday, with SANA reporting that military vehicles and a bulldozer advanced in southern Quneitra and blocked several roads. On Thursday, Israeli troops searched homes in Al-Hurriya village in northern Quneitra, demolished an abandoned house near Al-Hamidiyah and fired toward agricultural land around Kodna, the agency said.
Source: AFP via Arab News
Damascus has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the 1974 disengagement agreement through incursions, arrests, shelling and the destruction of agricultural land, and has demanded the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Syria. Israel has expanded its military presence in southern Syria since the overthrow of former president Bashar Assad in December 2024, occupying a UN-monitored buffer zone established under the 1974 agreement and conducting repeated incursions beyond it.
Source: AFP via Arab News
The Israeli military says its operations are necessary to protect its border and prevent security threats. The two countries have held US-mediated talks aimed at reaching a security arrangement, but disagreements over Israel's military presence and continued operations have complicated those efforts, Arab News reported.
Source: AFP via Arab News