Israeli forces fire on civilians in Quneitra in southwestern Syria

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli forces on Friday opened fire on a group of Syrian civilians in Quneitra province in the country’s southwest, without causing any injuries.

Israeli forces fired on civilians from the village of Al-Hamidiya, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

It said that the incident occurred as they were returning from taking part in a public event in the town of Khan Arnabeh “in support of Syria’s unity and in rejection of the Israeli occupation’s crimes.”

SANA added that Israeli forces prevented the Syrians from entering Al-Hamidiya for about half an hour, noting that there were no reports of injuries.

Earlier on Friday, at least 13 people were killed, including women and children, and 24 were wounded in Israel’s attack on Beit Jinn and the road leading to it, in rural areas around the capital Damascus, according to state media.

The Israeli army staged 48 raids in southern Syria in November, according to an Anadolu tally.

Government data shows that since December 2024, Israel has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids into the southern provinces.

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 agreement with Syria.