Syrian officials blamed Israel after state media reported that Israeli forces killed a man with disabilities in Daraa, while the military’s reported account described an unidentified person approaching troops.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said the incident took place in Jamla on Oct. 22, citing residents who said troops searched homes and gunfire struck the man. The Associated Press (AP) reported that he was buried in Jamla that day and that residents described him as unarmed.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry held Israeli authorities responsible for the death, saying the operation threatened regional security and recovery efforts. The ministry says Israeli operations in southern Syria violate the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. It has cited incursions, home raids, arrests, land clearing and artillery attacks as violations.
An Oct. 9 briefing from the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said its review of open-source material logged about 280 incidents involving armed Israeli entry into Syria during September, its largest monthly total recorded in 2026 up to that point. Information received by the office indicated that 49 Syrians remained in Israeli custody, though OHCHR said it had not independently confirmed a complete, current count. The briefing also described civilian effects including detentions, movement restrictions, intimidation and damage to livelihoods.
AP has reported that Israeli forces took control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria after Bashar Assad’s government fell in December 2024 and have also operated beyond it. EconoTimes previously covered reports of Israeli forces searching homes in Jamlah.
The National separately quoted an unnamed Syrian military official in Deraa who said the man refused to comply after troops stopped him.
In an account reported by AP and The Times of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops fired after an unidentified person continued approaching them and that it was reviewing the incident. The reports did not establish whether that person was the man SANA reported killed.
