Israeli patrol enters Syria’s Daraa, threatens residents with demolitions
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – An Israeli military patrol on Thursday entered the western countryside of Daraa in southern Syria and reopened a road that local residents had blocked, threatening to demolish their homes if they blocked it again.
Local sources told North Press that the patrol, consisting of a bulldozer, three military vehicles and several soldiers on foot, entered the Yarmouk Basin area.
The sources said that the forces removed stones placed on the Abdin-al-Arda road, which connects al-Arda neighborhood with Maariyah village, and set up checkpoints along the road, briefly detaining several residents who were passing through, the sources said.
The patrol later released those detained but damaged the tires of their motorcycles and warned residents against blocking the road again with stones, threatening to demolish their homes if they repeated the action, according to the sources.
An Israeli drone also dropped a bomb on the road shortly before the patrol withdrew from the area. No damage was reported, the sources added.
The latest incident follows an Israeli military incursion into al-Rafid village in Quneitra southern countryside on Wednesday night, when Israeli forces searched several homes without making any arrests, according to North Press sources.
The Israeli forces have increased their military activity in southern Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, including incursions and the establishment of positions in parts of Quneitra and Daraa governorates.
The incursions have prompted concerns among residents over restrictions on movement, access to farmland and the security of communities near the Israeli-controlled zone.