Israeli forces fire at Syrian protesters in Deraa, wounding one | News

Demonstrators demand an end to Israeli military presence in border town in southern governorate.

Israeli forces have shot and wounded a Syrian protester demonstrating against the army’s presence in a border village in southern Syria, the Israeli military says.

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 the Israeli military presence in the area.

A local journalist told Al Jazeera that al-Hussein was transported 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 in what it said is a bid to prevent military equipment from falling into hostile 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 area of Maariya in southern Syria, [the Israeli army] called on protesters to distance themselves from the troops,” the military said.

The village is just outside the southern point of the UN-patrolled zone.

“After the troops identified a threat, they operated in accordance with standard operating procedures against the threat. … 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 condemning the Israeli incursion, a young man was injured by Israeli forces’ gunfire in the village of Maariya, in the Daraa region,” the SOHR said.

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

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

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

“People are angry and think that the regime has been replaced by the Israeli aggression. I currently have no further details on this matter,” he said. “Our primary goal is to ensure Syria is safe from any external threats.”