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Drone strike and firepower
The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms the targeting of a civilian car by an Israeli drone on the Mizarat Beit Jen-Beit Jen village road in western Rif Damascus, holding the occupation fully responsible for the repercussions of repeated attacks that heighten tension and instability in the region.
“The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms the targeting of a civilian car by an Israeli drone”
The Israeli army announced that its forces opened fire in southern Syria at what it described as an "enemy who posed a direct threat to them," with an Israeli Army Radio source saying the target was "apparently planning to detonate an explosive device against Israeli forces."
Syrian Foreign Minister Osad Shibani told Reuters that "communications with Israel were cut off after its attack on the Abu al-Duhr airbase on August 18," and he expected talks on an security agreement to resume soon.
Okaz said Israeli forces set up temporary military checkpoints at two separate locations in Quneitra province while another force penetrated the western countryside of Daraa, and it described an Israeli military force of seven vehicles entering the Yarmouk Basin area.
Okaz also reported that four vehicles were stationed on the Saisoun–Jomla road and that three vehicles penetrated the village of Jomla for a short period before withdrawing via Wadi al-Ruqad accompanied by a force of infantry.
Video dispute in Daraa
A video clip widely circulated claimed to document the moment Israeli vehicles passed through the city of Daraa in southern Syria, with local residents reacting and some accounts asserting that “the people of Daraa welcomed the Israeli vehicles as they roamed the streets,” which sparked anger on social media.
Al Jazeera’s open-source unit found no other angles showing the alleged incursion in busy streets published in the same context, and it said a close inspection showed the speaker’s dialect in the clip is not Syrian.
The verification work identified four main elements relied upon in the clip, including a café sign reading “Hamodi Coffé,” and it traced the café’s Instagram account to the Facebook page of the “Qabatia Oil Company.”
Al Jazeera concluded that the filming took place in northern West Bank, with no connection to Daraa, Syria, and it said the original TikTok source from Qabatia posted it on August 10 in a satirical context with the caption: “When you get used to them more,”.
The Al-Jazirah Net report also said the misleading narrative was primarily promoted by Iraqi accounts and channels on social media, and that some deliberately erased the original location indicator (Qabatia) visible in the original video.
Checkpoints and diplomacy pressures
Okaz reported that the Syria Now network confirmed a temporary checkpoint last night consisting of three military vehicles on the Ain al-Abd–Al-Asbah road south of Quneitra, while the Sijil center said Israeli forces set up a temporary checkpoint last night on the Jbata al-Khashab–Ovania road and searched passersby.
“the occupation forces established a temporary checkpoint last night consisting of three military vehicles”
In the same reporting thread, Okaz reiterated the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s condemnation of the drone targeting of a civilian vehicle on the Mazraat Beit Jinn–Beit Jinn village road in the western countryside of Damascus and renewed calls for the international community and the Security Council to stop violations of Syrian sovereignty.
Reuters, via Osad Shibani, was cited by both outlets for the claim that "communications with Israel were cut off after its attack on the Abu al-Zuhur airbase on August 18," and for the expectation of talks on a security agreement to resume soon.
Al-Jazirah Net described the broader pattern as almost daily Israeli incursions and attacks in southern Syria, including raids, searches, arrests, and the establishment of military checkpoints, and it said the escalation followed Israel exploiting the ousting of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024.
Al-Jazirah Net also stated that Israel announced the collapse of the 1974 disengagement agreement, occupying the neutralized Syrian area and other sites including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, while continuing to hold most of the Golan Heights since 1967.