Syria: Protests denouncing Israeli incursions after the martyrdom of a civilian with special needs

Hundreds of Syrians participated in protest vigils in several cities on Friday, denouncing repeated Israeli incursions into southern Syria, following the martyrdom of a civilian with special needs by Israeli forces' fire in the Daraa countryside. The family of a Syrian detainee held by Israel demanded his release in front of the UN headquarters in Damascus.

Hundreds of Syrians participated in protest vigils on Friday in several cities, denouncing repeated Israeli incursions into southern Syria, following the martyrdom of a civilian with special needs by Israeli forces' fire in the Daraa countryside. Protesters gathered in Damascus, Douma, Homs, and the town of Khan Arnabeh in the Quneitra countryside, protesting repeated Israeli aggressions in the Quneitra and Daraa governorates. Demonstrators carried Syrian flags and banners, one of which read "We are all Muadh," referring to the name of the Syrian who was martyred on Thursday by Israeli occupation forces' fire during their incursion into the village of Jamlah in western Daraa countryside, according to the official news agency SANA. Another protester raised a banner reading "Syria will not be an open arena for occupation." Tayseer al-Hariri, a former local official in the town of Busr al-Harir in Daraa, said: "The Syrian homeland is one, south, north, east, and west; we are one hand against Israeli incursions." In front of the UN headquarters in Damascus, the family of a Syrian detained by Israel demanded his release, with family members including two young children holding banners reading "I want my father." Since the ousting of the former regime in late 2024, Israeli forces have detained 56 people, most of whom remain in custody.