As the Assad regime collapsed this month, Israel’s military moved quickly to secure the border area with Syria, disarming nearby villages to establish a security buffer. However, some of these villages are now resisting, worried about the possibility of an extended Israeli presence.
Protests have erupted in recent days in southern Syrian villages against the Israeli military presence. Online videos from Dec. 20 show crowds in the border village of Maariyah waving Free Syria flags and throwing stones at Israeli military vehicles. Some villages are also refusing to surrender their weapons to Israeli forces, stating they will only hand them over to Syrian government authorities.
During the Maariyah protests, a young man was shot and injured as Israeli forces attempted to disperse the demonstrators. Protesters reported that Israeli forces issued warnings via loudspeakers before opening fire. In another incident on Wednesday in the village of Sweisa, Israeli forces fired warning shots at protesters who approached their positions. Locals reported that several people were injured in the confrontation.
Residents of several villages have raised concerns about disruptions to their daily lives caused by the Israeli military presence in the area. They report restricted mobility and limited access to essential resources such as food, water, and electricity, with some accusing Israeli forces of barring farmers from reaching their fields. In Quneitra province, leaders from eight villages issued a joint statement demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
“This situation is causing fear, frustration, and anger,” said Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a Syria expert and fellow at the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank. “The longer this presence continues, the greater the risk of it escalating into an armed confrontation.”
Israel took control of the buffer zone, including a key strategic mountaintop, to establish a larger security barrier between its citizens and any new authority that might emerge in Syria following Bashar al-Assad’s ouster as president on Dec. 8. However, its incursions into Syrian territory risk triggering an armed conflict in the region, potentially becoming a flashpoint with Syria’s future leadership. These actions have already faced criticism from the United Nations, as well as European and Arab governments.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the military’s presence in Syria is temporary, intended to secure the border until a new arrangement can be established. Israeli officials emphasize that their goal is to ensure that border villages are cleared of weapons looted after the collapse of the Syrian army, with efforts focused on achieving disarmament through peaceful negotiations and maintaining a limited military presence in populated areas.
Israeli forces have reportedly entered several villages about a mile beyond the buffer zone, occupying abandoned Syrian outposts and traversing rural areas with personnel carriers and tanks, according to residents and verified online footage from Storyful, a News Corp subsidiary and part of The Wall Street Journal.
Many local residents, aware of Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, express deep distrust toward the forces now operating in their villages.
Israel has constructed military corridors and infrastructure within the Gaza Strip following over a year of conflict, which began after the Oct. 7 attacks last year by Hamas-led militants in southern Israel that left approximately 1,200 people dead. Meanwhile, Israel’s incursion into Lebanon aims to push Hezbollah forces away from its northern border and prevent further ground infiltrations by hostile groups.
Dirar al-Bashir, a former governor of Quneitra and a co-signatory of a statement by eight border villages demanding Israel’s withdrawal from the area, reported being summoned to a meeting with the Israeli army in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. During the meeting, which lasted several hours, Israeli military officials attempted to negotiate the surrender of weapons.
According to Bashir, an Israeli military official expressed Israel’s desire for peace with Syria. Bashir responded, “We told him peace doesn’t come through force or invasion but through restoring rights, good neighborliness, and mutual interests.”
Bashir also described how Israeli forces had seized high ground around the towns and set up barriers that now isolate villages, severely restricting movement. Heavy military vehicles have damaged roads and infrastructure, leading to temporary disruptions in electricity, water, and phone services. “Some villages went 10 days without water as Israel cut off supplies,” Bashir said, adding that clashes between Israeli forces and local residents are ongoing.
The Israeli military has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the protests in southern Syria or Dirar al-Bashir’s claims.
Israel’s concern over potential anarchy along its border could, however, become a self-fulfilling prophecy if it fails to withdraw or reach an agreement with Syria’s emerging leadership, warned Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and author of a recent book on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The rebel group, which led the offensive against Bashar al-Assad, is now transitioning from a fighting force to a governing authority under its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Sharaa, a U.S.-designated terrorist formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, has been engaging with diplomats worldwide and has, so far, avoided direct conflict with Israel. Though he delayed condemning Israeli actions for over a week, Sharaa eventually criticized Israeli strikes on Syrian military facilities and their presence in Syria. “There is no justification for the Israelis to bomb Syrian facilities or advance inside Syria,” he told reporters, adding that he has no intention of initiating a war with Israel. However, Israeli officials remain wary of HTS and its leadership due to their historical ties to jihadist groups, including al Qaeda.
Analysts caution that Sharaa’s stance could shift if tensions escalate on the ground. “If civilians are harmed during incidents involving Israeli forces, the situation could quickly spiral out of control,” said Eyal Zisser, a Middle East history professor at Tel Aviv University. “At some point, an accident involving our forces—such as a tank harming civilians—could provoke widespread anger.”
Iyad Naser, uncle of 19-year-old Maher Hussein, who was shot during Friday’s protest, revealed that his nephew had to undergo three costly surgeries. Although the crowds dispersed following the shooting, it has done little to alleviate villagers’ fears.
“As of now, military vehicles continue to enter and exit the area,” Naser said. “People are increasingly worried that the situation in their region might deteriorate further.”