Syria condemns new Israeli incursion and shelling in southern Daraa province
Syria has condemned a new Israeli incursion and artillery fire in the south of the country after troops advanced into the village of Abidin in Daraa province, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The incident prompted residents to flee overnight, according to local accounts cited by state media and a local official. It is the latest in a series of cross-border tensions in the area.
Sponsored
The Syrian foreign ministry said on Monday that Israeli forces had carried out incursions into Syrian territory in both Quneitra and Daraa provinces and had targeted the region with artillery shelling. In its statement, Damascus described the actions as a violation of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity. Local official Mahmud Mowaffaq said residents in Abidin tried to block the road with stones when an Israeli patrol attempted to advance into the village on Sunday.
According to the report, Israeli forces later responded with artillery fire, causing residents to leave for nearby villages during the night. Mowaffaq said people returned on Monday morning after the troops withdrew. An AFP photographer also saw a resident inspecting an unexploded artillery shell near his home, underlining the immediate disruption caused by the exchange.
The incident matters because it adds to already heightened friction along Syria's southern frontier, where the Golan Heights remain a long-running point of military and political dispute. The report says the Israeli military has carried out at least 70 incursions into southern Syria this month alone, according to the local NGO Sijil. That figure suggests a sustained pattern of activity rather than an isolated event, with implications for civilian safety and border stability.
Sponsored
The report also places the latest episode in the wider context of developments since the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. It says Israeli troops entered a UN-patrolled buffer zone that had separated Israeli and Syrian forces for decades and later described the area as a security zone in southern Syria. Israel has also carried out repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory and says it wants a demilitarised zone in the south.
What remains unclear is the scale of any damage from the shelling and whether there were any casualties. The report does not say how long Israeli forces stayed in or near Abidin, or whether there were further movements after Monday morning. The next developments to watch are any response from Israel, any confirmation of damage or injuries, and whether the pattern of incursions continues in Daraa and Quneitra.
Sponsored
