Syrians march across the country to demand Israeli troops leave the south

Residents in Syria took to the streets on Friday to protest Israeli military presence in the country's south. The demonstrations followed the killing of a man with a disability during a recent incursion and continued troop advances in the Quneitra province. Crowds in Damascus and Homs denounced the operations, while families of detainees demanded the release of their loved ones.

The unrest builds on a timeline of escalating friction since the change of government in December 2024. The new leadership took power after toppling Bashar al-Assad. Since then, the Israeli military has executed hundreds of strikes and made frequent incursions. Israeli forces also entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone that has separated the two countries near the Golan Heights since 1974.

Earlier this week, Israeli fire killed a man with special needs in Daraa province. State television showed marchers carrying posters with the slogan "We are all Moaz." In Daraa, an AFP correspondent observed hundreds of people waving Syrian flags. Taysir al-Hariri, a protester, told the agency the crowd aimed to "send a message to the world" that Syria stands united against incursions.

Outside a United Nations building in the capital, the family of a man seized by Israel held posters reading "I want my dad." State media reported that Israeli forces advanced into part of Quneitra province on Friday. They blocked several roads, bulldozed olive groves, and set up checkpoints. Troops also detained residents in the area.

Israel has stated it will keep troops in a "security zone" in southern Syria. The military seeks a larger demilitarised area in the region. The protests mark a direct public response to these moves, with demonstrators in multiple cities linking the death of the man in Daraa to the wider pattern of military activity in the south.