Syrians Rally in Damascus and Homs After Israeli Troops Expand in South
Hundreds of protesters marched across the country following the death of a disabled man and new military advances in Quneitra.
By John Ferrari ·
Protesters took to the streets in Damascus, Homs, and Daraa on Friday to challenge the expanding Israeli military presence in Syria's south. The rallies followed a strike earlier in the week that killed a man with a disability and coincided with Israeli forces blocking roads and entering parts of Quneitra province.
State media confirmed that large crowds gathered in the capital and the central city of Homs to denounce attacks in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa. In Daraa, an AFP correspondent observed hundreds of demonstrators, some waving Syrian flags. Taysir al-Hariri, a protester at the rally, said the group aimed to "send a message to the world" that Syria remains united against incursions and those who try to tamper with national security.
Footage from state television showed marchers carrying posters with the phrase "We are all Moaz." The slogan honors the man with special needs who was killed by Israeli fire a day before the protests during an operation in Daraa province. Outside a United Nations building in Damascus, the family of a Syrian man currently held by Israel demanded his release. Their children held up signs that read "I want my dad."
Israeli forces have bulldozed olive groves and set up checkpoints in the area while detaining local residents. The military has conducted hundreds of strikes and frequent incursions since a new government took power in December 2024 after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad. Troops have also moved into the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights, which had separated the two sides since 1974.
Israel maintains that it will keep troops in a designated "security zone" in southern Syria. The country is seeking a larger demilitarized area to secure its borders.
