A view of the destruction following an Israeli ground operation and simultaneous airstrikes on the village of Abdin in Daraa, Syria [Getty]
Residents of two villages in the Yarmouk Basin area in southwestern Syria blocked roads on Tuesday evening to prevent Israeli forces from advancing into the area, amid ongoing tensions and growing fears of expanding Israeli military movements.
Speaking to The New Arab, Daraa-based media activist Youssef al-Mosleh said residents of Maariya and al-Aridah blocked roads leading to al-Jazira military barracks in the Daraa province’s Yarmouk Basin amid heightened public anger following Israeli attacks targeting the village of Abdin and its surroundings over the past two days.
The protest coincided with a visit by a delegation from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to Abdin, where officials heard residents describe Israeli military incursions and shelling in the area. Locals recounted the fear and anxiety these attacks caused.
Israeli forces stationed at al-Jazira barracks opened fire on Sunday at a group of young men as they protested near the base against Israeli occupation. That night witnessed Israeli artillery shelling, helicopter gunfire and a ground incursion.
Local sources said the shelling damaged farmland and private property, and forced people to flee their homes. No casualties were reported.
The escalation marked the largest military buildup in the area in recent months.
It is the latest in a series of Israeli incursions into Syria’s Daraa and Quneitra provinces recently, which have involved house searches, military checkpoints, artillery shelling and gunfire. Residents say these have disrupted daily life and damaged agricultural land.
Immediately after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, Israeli forces crossed the UNDOF-monitored buffer zone for the first time since the 1970s and invaded parts of Quneitra, citing “security concerns”. Israeli troops also captured the Syrian side of the strategic site of Mount Hermon, placing its troops within close range to Damascus.
Syria’s new government has repeatedly said it does not seek conflict with Israel and poses no threat to it. However, direct negotiations between the two countries have so far failed to produce tangible results.
