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Israeli Troops Face Resistance in Syria06/30 06:16
ABDIN, Syria (AP) -- As Israeli troops and vehicles entered the town of
Abdin in southern Syria, residents blocked the roads with rocks, and some young
men and boys threw stones to push back the military patrol.
Tensions in this part of the country created by a buffer zone occupied by
Israeli forces have flared into violence in recent days, leaving residents
anxious that more escalation is coming. Residents of Abdin, located near a
U.N.-patrolled buffer zone now controlled by Israeli troops, tried to resist
against a military incursion Sunday.
Residents said Israeli troops fired warnings shots at walls and between the
angry protesters, before firing artillery rounds at the village. No one was
harmed in the exchange, but most residents fled, and most were still too afraid
to return on Monday. Many fear that there will now be more intense incursions
and raids following the skirmish.
"They come into the village regularly, every few days," said resident
Mohammad al-Hassan, standing not far from a group of children looking at an
exploded shell. "They come in armored 4x4 vehicles, they roam around the
village and search some houses, they knock on doors and if people don't answer
the door they break it down and enter the houses. Women and children start
screaming, it's a terrifying thing, them coming here."
Israel says it needs buffer zones to prevent attacks
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in
December 2024, following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in
an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially described the move as
temporary to protect their borders from militant groups, but more recently top
Israeli officials have said they plan to occupy the buffer zone in Syria
indefinitely.
The Israeli military presence in southern Syria is part of a shift to a more
aggressive strategy by Israel after the deadly October 2023 Hamas-led attacks
in southern Israel. The Israeli military took over large portions of Gaza as
part of a broad invasion, and later seized control of chunks of Lebanon --
where the Hezbollah militant group has fired missiles and drones across the
border -- and Syria. Israel calls these areas "buffer zones" and says they are
needed to prevent future attacks by militant groups.
There have been no cross-border attacks from Syria into Israel since Assad's
ouster, except for two rockets from a little-known militant group. But Israel's
military incursions into southwestern Syrian towns have sometimes sparked
resistance by residents that has spiraled into deadly clashes.
Syrian officials condemn Israeli incursions
Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has called on Israel to withdraw
from the area that the U.N. says is 235 square kilometers (91 square miles).
The Syrian government also condemned the Israeli incursion and shelling in
Abdin.
The clashes in Abdin were the second outbreak of violence in less than 24
hours. Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military announced that it had killed
armed men in southern Syria without giving details.
An Israeli military official said Monday that Israeli soldiers had killed
two militants who were planning on attacking Israeli troops. The official who
spoke on condition of anonymity under military briefing rules did not specify
where in Syria the incident took place.
The mayor of the Syrian village of Hadar said two unknown people driving a
pickup truck just south of the village were killed in an attack, and that their
bodies were taken by the Israeli military.
"There was the sound of an explosion when it happened," Imad Hassoun told
The Associated Press. "They weren't from Hadar. If they were, we would
immediately know."
Regarding the incident in Abdin, the Israeli official said armed militants
opened fired against one of the Israeli military's strongholds but nobody was
harmed in the attack, without giving further details.
Residents fear increasing instability
People in Abdin were initially hopeful that US-mediated talks between Israel
and Syria in France aimed at reaching a security agreement would diffuse
tensions, but the talks appear to have stalled.
Fearing the unstable security situation and struggling to cope with a lack
of jobs and services, many residents who have lived in these towns are leaving
elsewhere. The closest government security checkpoint to Abdin is some 10
kilometers (6 miles) away, and those who choose to stay are struggling with
water and electricity shortages.
Sobhi al-Tawlbi, 66, says farmers have struggled to access their yield and
sources of water.
"We need the government to support us a little so we can remain steadfast in
our villages," he said, asking for the international community to put pressure
on Israel to stop its military incursions.
Syrians living in that broader border area have maintained that they are not
a threat to anyone and want a stable life, following over 13 years of civil war
that decimated Syria.
"Why are they bothering us? We are living here peacefully in this border
area," said al-Hassan.
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