INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Israeli soldiers have raided Syrian border villages, prompting nervous residents to huddle in their homes
But it also marked the start of an Israeli incursion into the border region, which Israel has called a temporary defensive move to protect
its own security.Thousands of Syrians now live in areas at least partly controlled by Israeli forces, leaving many anxious over how long the
Israeli troops have detained some residents and opened fire during at least two protests against the raids, according to the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, an independent monitor.At least some Syrians now say they fear the Israeli presence could become a prolonged
raided by the Israeli military.Israel and Syria have fought multiple conflicts, but for decades, the border separating the two has been
Afterward, both sides agreed to create a demilitarized buffer zone patrolled by United Nations peacekeepers that served as a de facto
border.But when Syrian rebels drove al-Assad from power on Dec
upheaval and after the Hamas-led surprise attack from Gaza on Oct
7, 2023, that left some 1,200 people dead in Israel.Israeli forces quickly seized the peak of Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in Syria,
and advanced along the length of the buffer zone and beyond it
Around the same time, Israel said it conducted hundreds of airstrikes around the country targeting fighter jets, tanks, missiles and other
has prompted international accusations that Israel is violating the decades-old cease-fire
Several groups still hold territory in parts of the country in addition to the new Syrian government in Damascus, with Turkish forces in
effect controlling areas along the northern border and a Kurdish autonomous region in the northeast.The Israeli military is operating in the
Abdulrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in a phone interview.Israel also provided medical care to some Syrians
Israel already controls much of the Golan Heights, territory once held by Syria that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war and
helped coordinate between UN officials and local residents
local leaders and demand that they gather up all of the weaponry in their towns and hand it over to the Israeli military, according to seven
The towns mostly complied with the order, leading Israeli soldiers to take out rifles by the truckload, they said.Israel did not respond to
requests for comment on specific accusations by local residents
But the Israeli military said on Wednesday that its forces have seized and destroyed weapons that formerly belonged to the Syrian army,
including anti-tank missiles and explosive devices.Syrian residents and local leaders in the border area also said that Israeli military
vehicles have damaged water pipes and electrical cables around some villages, causing blackouts and water cuts.Turki al-Mustafa, 62, said
there had been no running water in his town, Hamidiyeh, since Israeli troops entered the buffer zone
He said that troops had allowed some water to be trucked in, but had set up roadblocks around the town, ordering residents to enter and
leave only at designated hours.Cellphone reception has also become spotty in the buffer zone since the Israeli incursion, according to Ahmad
Two residents of the town of Sweisa said Israeli soldiers had opened fire and injured several people during a protest there on Dec
