Israeli troops meet civilian resistance in Abdin, southern Syria

Israeli troops and vehicles entered the town of Abdin in southern Syria, near a United Nations‑patrolled buffer zone now under Israeli control. Residents blocked roads with rocks and some youths threw stones, while Israeli forces fired warning shots and artillery rounds at the village. No one was injured, but most residents fled and remain fearful of returning.

Resident Mohammad al‑Hassan told reporters, “They come into the village regularly, every few days… They come in armored 4×4 vehicles, they roam around the village and search some houses… Women and children start screaming, it’s a terrifying thing.”

Israel says the buffer zone is required to prevent attacks on its border, noting it seized the area in December 2024 after the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. Syrian interim president Ahmad al‑Sharaa and other Syrian officials condemned the incursion and called for Israeli withdrawal from the 235‑square‑kilometre zone. Israeli officials also said they had killed two militants planning attacks on their troops in the same region.