Israeli forces fire on Syrian protesters in Deraa, injuring one | News

Demonstrators are demanding an end to the Israeli military presence in the border town in the southern governorate.

Israeli forces shot and injured a Syrian protester who was demonstrating against the army’s presence in a border village in southern Syria, according to the Israeli military.

An Israeli fire injured the man, identified by local media as Maher al-Hussein, in the leg on Friday as protesters gathered in the town of Maariyah to demand an end to Israel’s military presence in the area.

A local journalist told Al Jazeera that al-Hussein was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Since opposition forces toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syria to prevent military equipment from falling into enemy hands.

In a move widely condemned internationally, Israel also sent troops into a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights and beyond, calling it a defensive and temporary measure.

“During a protest against (Israeli military) activities in the Maariya area of ​​southern Syria, (the Israeli army) asked protesters to distance themselves from the troops,” the military said.

The village lies just outside the southern tip of the UN patrol zone.

“After identifying a threat, troops responded to the threat according to standard operating procedures. … The protester was shot in the leg,” the military said.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a war monitor, said the Israeli soldiers were stationed at a barracks in the village.

“During a protest against the Israeli invasion, a young man was injured by Israeli gunfire in the village of Maariya in the Daraa region,” the SOHR said.

“During the protest, Israeli forces stationed at the Al Jazeera barracks opened fire directly on the demonstrators, wounding a young man in the leg.”

It remains unclear how Syria’s new interim government, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, plans to direct Israel’s military actions across the country.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera this week, interim government spokesman Obaid Arnaut said the government’s approach would be “set out in the near future”, without giving details.

“People are angry and think that the regime has been replaced by Israeli aggression. I don’t have any further details at this time,” he said. “Our primary goal is to ensure that Syria is protected from any external threats.”