Israeli patrol enters farmlands in Daraa countryside
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Israeli forces carried out on Saturday a limited ground incursion near the village of Maariya in the Yarmouk Basin area of western Daraa, accompanied by bursts of gunfire targeting the village’s western outskirts, local sources reported.
A local resident told North Press that the Israeli unit advanced briefly toward agricultural lands surrounding Maariya before halting movement in the area. The source said the incursion occurred alongside other military activity on the border, including the arrival of a second Israeli patrol near the neighboring village of Kouya. That unit later withdrew toward the nearby al-Jazira outpost.
According to the resident, the gunfire coincided with the ground movement and appeared intended to force local farmers to withdraw from lands they had reached early in the morning to begin plowing after recent rainfall signaled the start of a new planting season. No injuries were reported.
The Yarmouk Basin, bordering both the Golan Heights and Jordan, remains a sensitive area marked by frequent tensions and overlapping security concerns. Local communities often find themselves affected by sudden military activity, which disrupts movement in farmlands that represent a primary source of livelihood.
Residents in Maariya and Kouya say they remain cautious as similar movements have occurred in recent months, occasionally prompting temporary displacement from fields during planting seasons. No official statement was issued from authorities on the Syrian side regarding Saturday’s incidents.