Syrians March After Israeli Troops Kill Moaz in Southern Incursion
Protests in Damascus and Homs follow a strike that killed a disabled man and renewed military advances in Quneitra and Daraa.
By Noor Phillips ·
Protesters across Syria demanded answers on Friday after Israeli forces killed a man with a disability during a recent incursion in the south. The death of Moaz, who had special needs, triggered rallies in the capital Damascus and the central city of Homs. State media reported that crowds gathered to denounce Israeli military operations in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa.
An AFP correspondent in Daraa observed hundreds of demonstrators at a local rally. Some participants waved Syrian flags, while others carried posters reading "We are all Moaz." Taysir al-Hariri, a protester at the scene, told the agency that the crowd intended to "send a message to the world" that the nation remains united against foreign interference in its security.
Outside a United Nations building in Damascus, the family of a Syrian man detained by Israeli forces staged a separate demonstration. Children in the group held signs that read "I want my dad" as they called for his release.
State television footage showed marchers in other locations carrying similar imagery. On the ground, Israeli forces advanced into part of Quneitra province on Friday. Military operations included blocking several roads, bulldozing olive groves, and setting up checkpoints. Troops also detained residents in the area.
The new Syrian government, which took power after toppling Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, faces a tense border dynamic. Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria and maintains troops in a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights. The Israeli military has vowed to keep forces in a security zone in the south while seeking a larger demilitarized area.
