One hurt after IDF opens fire at group protesting Israeli presence in south Syria
Army says soldiers shot suspect in leg after spotting ‘threat that required action to remove’; incident comes day after Maariya residents said troops blocked them from their fields
Israeli troops wounded one person after opening fire Friday on demonstrators in southern Syria, with the military saying the soldiers did so to remove “a threat.”
According to the local Daraa 24 outlet, residents of towns in the Yarmouk River basin gathered near a former Syrian army post close to the village of Maariya to protest against the IDF presence in Syria.
The outlet said the soldiers opened fire in the air to stop the demonstrators from approaching, and one person was hit directly and wounded.
The Israel Defense Forces later confirmed the incident. It said soldiers who were calling on suspects to move back amid the demonstration “identified a threat that required action to remove,” without elaborating.
The troops acted according to the open-fire procedures, and shot one of the protesters in the leg, according to the IDF.
“We emphasize that the IDF does not intervene in the events taking place in Syria,” the military said, adding that it will “continue to act to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.”
Maariya, on the western edge of Syria’s southern Daraa province, is near the Israeli Golan Heights, but outside of a buffer zone in the Golan established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel.
Friday’s incident came a day after villagers alleged that the troops stationed in the abandoned army base were preventing local farmers from accessing their fields.
#متابعة: لحظة إطلاق النار من قبل جنود الاحـ.ـتلال على المتظاهرين قرب ثكنة الجزيرة غربي قرية معرية في منطقة حوض اليرموك، حيث أدى ذلك لإصابة شاب.#درعا #حوض_اليرموك #مظاهرة_ضد_الاحـتلال #درعا24 pic.twitter.com/1Vag1960H2
— Daraa 24 – 24 درعا (@Daraa24_24) December 20, 2024
Israeli troops entered the buffer zone — a roughly 400-square-kilometer (154-square-mile) demilitarized zone separating Israel from Syria — shortly after Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled on December 8, saying it was a temporary move designed to ensure security for Israeli communities near the border amid the chaos of regime change. The IDF has also acknowledged operating in some areas just beyond the buffer zone.
Israeli allies have said they understand Israel’s need to secure the border, although many have cautioned against remaining in the territory long term, and France, the UN and others have called for Israeli troops to pull back.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops during a visit to the area this week that they will have to remain in place there “until another arrangement can be found that guarantees Israel’s security,” indicating it was likely they would stay through 2025.
Agencies contributed to this report.
