Moaz's death prompts nationwide Syrian protests against Israeli troop movement

Crowds gathered in Damascus and Homs on Friday to protest Israeli military activity in southern Syria. The demonstrations followed the killing of Moaz, a man with a disability, who was hit by fire during an incursion in Daraa province earlier this week.

State media reported that marchers in the capital and central Syria denounced the attacks. In Daraa, an AFP correspondent saw hundreds of people waving Syrian flags at a rally. Taysir al-Hariri, a protester, said the group aimed to send a message to the world that Syria stands united against incursions and threats to national security.

Footage from state television showed marchers carrying posters with the slogan "We are all Moaz." The phrase references the man Syria says was killed by Israeli fire a day before the rallies. Outside a United Nations building in Damascus, the family of a Syrian man detained by Israel held up signs reading "I want my dad."

Israeli forces advanced into part of Quneitra province this week. They blocked several roads, bulldozed olive groves, and set up checkpoints. Local residents reported that troops detained people in the area.

The Israeli military has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria since the new government took power in December 2024. That transition followed the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Israel also moved troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that had separated the two armies since 1974. The Israeli military stated it intends to keep troops in a security zone in southern Syria while seeking a larger demilitarized area.