Israeli attacks kill at least five in Syria's Koya near Daraa

At least five people were killed Tuesday in Israeli shelling of the southern Syrian province of Daraa, said local authorities, who also reported an Israeli incursion.

Provincial authorities, in a statement posted on Telegram, reported a provisional toll of five people killed in the Israeli bombardment of the town of Koya, west of Daraa, adding that residents had fled Israeli tank shelling. 

The statement came after Israel announced air strikes on the Syrian air bases near the city of Palmyra in Homs.

Omar Alhariri, an independent journalist based in Daraa, said on X that the Israeli army’s ongoing troop mobilisation on the town’s outskirts and intense shelling of the area on the town has so far killed over seven people and injured dozens.

"The claims circulated by Israeli military media about an attack on their forces in Koya town, western Daraa countryside, are false," Alhariri said.

"The truth is that they initiated the aggression by attempting to arrest youths from Koya, who resisted this patrol."

The journalist added that the army has also ordered all residents to evacuate the town immediately.