File photo : Mourners carry the casket of one of several people killed in reported Israeli shelling on Nawa in Syria's southern province of Daraa. AFP
"Israel has established a buffer zone on our land and barred us from entering," residents of the Al-Hamidiyah village in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights told WSJ.
They added that Israeli forces have now moved beyond the buffer zone they unilaterally declared in December in southwestern Syria, intensifying their incursion into the region.
"The Israeli forces have detained Syrians suspected of involvement in terrorist activities," the WSJ quoted an Israeli officer as saying.
Following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad on 8 December 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the UN buffer zone with Syria.
The United Nations deemed this action a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria.
Moreover, Israel revealed its intention to maintain control over the area despite Arab and international criticism.
Israeli escalation in southern Syria
Syria's southern region, including Daraa and Quneitra, has witnessed growing tensions and clashes between Syrian residents and the occupying Israeli forces.
On Thursday, nine civilians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the city of Daraa.
Local authorities reported a state of alert and widespread public anger following that Israeli "massacre," especially as this is the first time Israeli forces have advanced this deep into the region.
Earlier, the WSJ reported that residents of Daraa province had clashed with Israeli troops near the Al-Jabeiliya Dam.
The assault followed a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting the airports in Homs and Hama and a research centre in Damascus.
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