Israeli soldiers fire on protesters demanding end to occupation in Syria
Syrians in Maariyah, in the western Daraa countryside, staged a protest against Israel’s continued invasion of Syrian lands on Friday.
The Israeli army, which recently set up a base in the town, reportedly fired at the protesters, injuring one of them.
Images posted by local Syrian social media accounts showed protesters carrying banners, which read: "Free, free Syria, Israel get out."
In videos, protesters could also be heard chanting the same slogan.
After the fall of the Assad government in Syria, Israel launched an invasion of Syrian territory, accompanied by hundreds of air strikes across the country.
After quickly taking over the UN-mandated buffer zone, Israel expanded its operations to nearby countryside reaching as far as Qatana, 26 km from Damascus.
Residents in the areas of Quneitra, bordering the occupied Golan Heights, had been ordered by the Israeli army to leave, with some reportedly refusing.
According to Al Jazeera, Israel resorted to cutting off water networks and destroying streets in Quneitra to pressure people into leaving.
Farmers in the area say Israeli forces are also banning them from working in their fields.
The protest from local villagers came as a response to Israel’s repeated attacks.
“Today, we are living a joy we have not experienced in years,” one man said at the protest.
“Today, we celebrate the fall of the aggressive, tyrant regime. The regime that tortured the Syrian period, the regime that killed thousands and millions of our Syrian people. We will not allow the occupying enemy to ruin this joy.”
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When asked in an interview about Israel’s attacks, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s de-facto current leader who is better known as Abu Mohammed Jolani, said that they “call for pressure on Israel to put an end to its operations in Syria”.
“We don't want conflict either with Israel or with other countries,” he said. “Syria won't be used to target other countries. Syrians are tired and just need to live in peace.”
Syrian protesters near Quneitra have asked their new government for support against Israel’s incursions.
“They banned us from our land (…) and from any kind of work near these lands,” said another protester.
“That is why we call on all international bodies, as well as our new government, to blatantly refuse this incursion which ruined our joy with our victory and Assad’s defeat.”
