Zionist Occupation Patrol Encounters Gunfire During Daraa Incursion, Withdraws Safely

According to local sources in southern Syria, an Israeli military patrol comprising three vehicles breached the perimeter of the village of Koya, located in the western countryside of Daraa, on Sunday.

Sources report that an Israeli patrol established a temporary checkpoint between the villages of Ma’ariya and Koya, which subsequently came under fire from unidentified sources. This incident prompted the patrol to retreat toward the al-Jazeera barracks.

On Saturday, an Israeli military contingent made its way into the village of Ma’ariya, located in the Yarmouk Basin. The forces established a temporary checkpoint on the village’s eastern side, conducting stops and searches of pedestrians. Meanwhile, a different unit advanced toward the nearby villages of Koya and Abdeen.

Since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, Israeli military actions in Syria have intensified significantly. The situation is characterized by almost daily ground incursions by Israeli forces into border villages across the regions of Daraa, Quneitra, and the rural outskirts of Damascus.

Human Rights Watch has leveled allegations against Israel, accusing it of committing war crimes in southern Syria. The accusations, made on September 17, involve the forceful displacement of residents and the demolition of homes within the buffer zone of the occupied Golan Heights.

Human Rights Watch has reported that Israeli forces, who have maintained control over parts of southern Syria since December 2024, are responsible for a series of human rights abuses against local residents. These abuses include forced displacement, with evidence supported by testimonies, satellite imagery, and visual documentation indicating incidents of arbitrary arrests and restrictions imposed on residents’ means of livelihood.

The report aligns with Syrian state media’s coverage indicating that Israeli forces have detained multiple individuals in the country’s southern region. This development follows an announcement from Damascus, made just a day prior, regarding its collaboration with Washington to achieve mutual “security understandings” with Israel.

Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s transitional President, announced on September 19 to Turkish media that Syria is on the cusp of reaching a US-brokered security agreement with “Israel.” He indicated that the deal could be concluded within the coming days.