Syrians March in Capital and South After Troops Advance in Quneitra
Protesters in Damascus and Daraa demand answers after a recent incursion killed a disabled man and forces seized new territory.
By Larissa Bell ·
Syrian residents in the capital and the southern provinces took to the streets on Friday to oppose continued military operations by Israel. The demonstrations followed a strike earlier this week that killed a man with a disability in Daraa province. State media confirmed that crowds gathered in both Damascus and Homs to voice their discontent with the ongoing incursions.
In Daraa, an AFP correspondent observed hundreds of people at a rally, some waving national flags. Taysir al-Hariri, a protester at the scene, told the agency that the group had come out to send a message to the world. He stated that Syria stands united against Israeli incursions and against anyone tempted to tamper with national security.
Footage from state television showed marchers carrying posters with the slogan, We are all Moaz. The name refers to the man with special needs who was killed by Israeli fire a day before the rallies began. Outside a United Nations building in Damascus, the family of another Syrian man seized by Israeli forces held up signs reading, I want my dad, urging for his release.
The protests coincide with a recent expansion of the Israeli military presence. State media reported on Friday that Israeli forces advanced into part of Quneitra province and blocked several roads. In the area, troops bulldozed olive groves, established checkpoints, and detained local residents.
This escalation fits a pattern that began after Syria’s new government took power in December 2024, following the removal of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Since then, the Israeli military has conducted hundreds of strikes and made frequent incursions. Israel also entered a UN-patrolled buffer zone that had separated its forces from Syrian troops on the Golan Heights since 1974.
Tel Aviv has vowed to keep troops in a designated security zone in the south. The goal is to create a larger demilitarized area along the border, a move that has intensified scrutiny of the region's status.
