Hundreds rally across Syria after Moaz is killed in Israeli strike

Protests erupted across Syria on Friday as demonstrators condemned repeated Israeli military operations in the south. The rallies followed the death of Moaz, a man with a disability, who was killed by Israeli fire on Thursday during an incursion in Daraa province.

State media reported that crowds gathered in the capital, Damascus, and in the central city of Homs. Participants denounced attacks in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa. In Daraa, an AFP correspondent observed hundreds of people at a rally, with some waving Syrian flags.

Taysir al-Hariri, a protester, told the agency that the demonstrations were intended to "send a message to the world" that Syria stands united "against Israeli incursions and against anyone who is tempted to tamper. with national security." Footage from state television showed marchers carrying posters with the slogan "We are all Moaz."

Outside a United Nations building in Damascus, the family of a Syrian man detained by Israel called for his release. Children at the scene held up posters reading "I want my dad."

State media also reported that Israeli forces advanced into part of Quneitra province on Friday and blocked several roads. In the area, troops have bulldozed olive groves, established checkpoints, and detained residents.

The Israeli military has conducted hundreds of strikes and made frequent incursions into Syria since the new government took power in December 2024. Israel also entered a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights, a territory it has vowed to keep under a "security zone" arrangement.