Syria Protests: Rallies Erupt Across Cities Over Incursions
Demonstrators in multiple Syrian cities gathered to protest military operations in the southern provinces, following the death of a man with a disability during an operation earlier this week.
By Ahmed Mansour ·
Demonstrators rallied across multiple Syrian cities on Friday, voicing opposition to repeated Israeli military incursions in the country's south. The protests were organized in response to operations in the region, including an incident earlier this week that resulted in the death of a man with a disability.
According to state media, crowds assembled in Damascus and Homs to condemn attacks and incursions targeting the southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa. In Daraa, an AFP correspondent reported seeing hundreds of people at a rally, some carrying Syrian flags. One protester, Taysir al-Hariri, told the agency that the demonstrators had gathered to "send a message to the world" that Syria stands united "against Israeli incursions and against anyone who is tempted to tamper. with national security".
Broadcast footage from state television showed marchers at various rallies carrying posters reading "We are all Moaz". The slogan refers to a man with special needs whom Syria says was killed by Israeli fire during an incursion in Daraa province.
Outside a United Nations building in Damascus, the family of a Syrian man seized by Israel gathered to call for his release. Children participating in the gathering held up posters reading "I want my dad".
State media also reported on Friday that Israeli forces advanced into part of Quneitra province and blocked several roads. The report stated that troops have bulldozed olive groves, set up checkpoints and detained residents in the area.
The Israeli military has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria and made frequent incursions into its territory since the new government took power after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Israel also sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that had separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the mainly Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 1974.
Israel has vowed to keep troops in a so-called "security zone" in southern Syria, where it seeks a broader demilitarised area.
Source: Middle East Eye
