Enab Baladi – Hussam al-Mahmoud
On March 25, Israel escalated its actions in southern Syria, specifically in Daraa, significantly surpassing previous violations by launching tank shells in the village of Koya in the Yarmouk Basin, following resistance from local residents against an Israeli military incursion into the area.
A reporter for Enab Baladi reported at the time that young men from Koya confronted an incursion by the Israeli army, which responded by shooting, killing two of them. This was followed by Israeli tank shelling on the village’s homes, amounting to around ten shells, resulting in the death of six people and the injury of seven others, as documented by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR).
The Israeli targeting was preceded and followed by repeated Israeli strikes on Syrian military capabilities across the Syrian landscape since the fall of the ousted Assad regime. It was met with condemnation first from Damascus and then from various regional states and key global actors.
During a Security Council session held on March 25, several countries, including Qatar, Jordan, Russia, China, and France, demanded that Israel return to “fulfilling” its commitments under the disengagement agreement and withdraw its units from the buffer zone and other Syrian territories it has occupied since the early hours following Assad’s fall, who previously safeguarded its borders.
Israel’s evasion: A narrative contrary to reality
These condemnations and rejections of the Israeli incursion, despite repeated statements from Damascus indicating that Syria’s priority is focused on construction, reconstruction, and development, drove the Israelis to evade responsibility, denying that their movements in Syria aimed to occupy Syrian land. The acting Israeli ambassador to Moscow justified their actions as an attempt to combat Hezbollah and Iran, despite both being outside the Syrian equation following Bashar al-Assad’s departure.
Moreover, this Israeli stance contradicts a plan revealed by the Israeli press on January 10, which aims to expand Israeli influence into Syrian territory up to 15 kilometers militarily and 60 kilometers intelligently.
The Israeli army, in its official discourse regarding events in Syria, claims that it focuses on securing the occupied Golan Heights from “extremist threats” which only they seem to perceive.
Israeli newspapers such as Yedioth Ahronoth previously quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating, “We have no intention to intervene in its (Syria’s) internal affairs, but it is clear that we intend to do what is necessary to ensure our security.” However, Israeli strikes are prevalent almost everywhere, and the absolute refusal to allow a formal Syrian military presence in the southern provinces, along with their pretense of protecting Syrian elements from the state, despite the absence of any real threats, contradicts the entire Israeli narrative.
The Syrian president for the transitional phase, Ahmed al-Sharaa, confirmed during his participation via Zoom at a French-Lebanese-Cypriot-Greek summit on March 28 that Syria will continue to defend its firm rights and that Arab and international support is no longer an option but a necessity.
The ground reality in Daraa remains unstable and concerning, and according to testimonies obtained by Enab Baladi through its correspondent in the region, residents fear an Israeli raid or escalation that could push them towards displacement, which is an unacceptable option for them.
How is the situation in Daraa?
Since its positioning in the Jazira area on December 10, 2024, a strategic hill overlooking the Syrian-Jordanian border and the Golan Heights, separating the Wadi al-Raqad from Wadi al-Yarmouk, the Israeli army has taken steps to prevent farmers from accessing their lands from the direction of Koya, as well as blocking beekeepers from reaching their farms, leading to financial losses for them. These factors drove young men in Koya to defend the town and prevent occupying forces from storming it, which resulted in casualties and injuries a few days ago.
As for popular resistance, Israel has only witnessed it in Koya, despite its repeated incursions into the towns of Ma’riya, Jamla, and Abidin in search of weapons.
At the official level, no Syrian government military forces intervened to repel the Israeli forces, indicating a rejection of the military option by Damascus, as the Daraa governor and police chief visited Koya to offer condolences.
These violations in Daraa, in particular, were preceded on March 17 by shelling that targeted the city of Daraa, resulting in three casualties and injuries. Additionally, Israel struck warehouses of the Fifth Division in Izra and Mahjah and the 89th Regiment in Jabab and the Radar Battalion in Nahta.
According to testimonies obtained by Enab Baladi, Israeli forces are working to destroy stockpiles of weapons, vehicles, tanks, and artillery while confronting residents with threats if they dare to resist its movements. They have also attempted to win over the population with food baskets and aid, which was met with public rejection.
Residents’ options
Enab Baladi conducted a survey in Daraa to understand the local residents’ options in the face of Israeli aggressive movements in their villages and towns. Lawyer Raslan al-Hussein stated that these Israeli provocations will eventually lead to the formation of popular resistance unless the Syrian state resolves the issue.
Doctor Mu’awiyah al-Zoubi also believes that Syrians will form resistance, and every landowner will defend their land, just as the Syrian people revolted against injustice in their country, they will rise against Israeli aggressions, noting that the Denshawai incident in Egypt ignited a revolution against occupation and that Israel “is playing with fire.”
Abu Thaer al-Khalidi, a resident of Daraa, also agrees that popular resistance will occur, but the matter is currently with the Syrian leadership.
Amjad Malika, from the town of al-Muzayrib in western Daraa, shares the views of al-Khalidi and al-Zoubi and others that popular resistance is a necessity, but the political events Syria experienced recently have delayed that, pointing out that what is happening in Gaza will incite Syrians to resist.
Moamer al-Maysawi, another Daraa resident, believes that popular resistance is the only solution if the Syrian state is weighed down and unable to act, and that Syrians as a whole do not accept what Israel is doing.
Meanwhile, Riyad al-Lafi hopes that things will develop and a popular resistance will emerge that could create fears among Israelis and push them to withdraw.
Reproducing crises
Mohammed Sarmini, director of the Jusoor for Studies Center, believes that the attack on Daraa goes beyond being a military aggression; it is an attempt to ignite new flashpoints that would disrupt Syria’s fragile stability and reproduce past crises under security pretexts. The civilian casualties confirm that systematic targeting has become a tool to impose a de facto policy.
Sarmini asserts that the international community must shift to a proactive role that imposes immediate accountability for these violations, and Syria must continue solidifying its security by building a state capable of deterring aggression.
He clarified to Enab Baladi that what is required of the people of Daraa today and the south in general is not to be lured by Israel or Israeli propaganda, without overlooking the absence of military response capabilities, together with the establishment of legitimate resistance to confront the occupation by whatever means available, whether through individual arms or through gathering and attempting to prevent incursions, with media coverage from global and local channels monitoring, capturing, and communicating what is happening.
This is where the role of the new Syrian state comes into play, working to find a formula that brings Israel back to the cease-fire lines as per the disengagement agreement through diplomatic efforts and preparing Syrian forces to position themselves in the sites stipulated in the international agreement signed in 1974. Additionally, it is necessary to communicate with relevant parties and engage in indirect negotiations with Israel at this time to return to the cease-fire agreement, and it would be preferable to approach the American door about this matter as soon as possible, according to Sarmini.
According to a report from Reuters at the beginning of March, Israel is pressuring the United States to keep Syria “weak and decentralized,” in a manner contrary to Washington’s allied states, including Saudi Arabia, which stated it is speaking with Washington and Brussels to help lift sanctions on Damascus, while it remains unclear to what extent the Trump administration is considering adopting Israeli proposals.
Intentions for popular resistance amid Israeli escalation in southern Syria Enab Baladi.
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