Israeli patrol enters southern Syria, opens fire: State media

An Israeli military patrol entered the Wadi al-Ruqad area in the western countryside of Syria's southern Daraa province on Friday and opened fire, Syrian state media reported.

An Israeli patrol "opened fire indiscriminately during its incursion into the Wadi al-Ruqad area, causing tension among residents," Alikhbariah TV reported.

No casualties were immediately reported.

Wadi al-Ruqad lies within the Yarmouk Basin in western Daraa and has witnessed repeated Israeli incursions in recent months, including one on Sept. 18 that ended with the detention of a shepherd.

The incursion comes amid escalating Israeli violations of Syrian territory, which President Ahmad al-Sharaa addressed Wednesday in his speech before the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

Al-Sharaa said Israel had carried out around 500 airstrikes and artillery attacks, more than 1,200 incursions and around 300 arrests and detentions since late 2024.

He rejected attempts to impose a fait accompli, reaffirmed Syria's commitment to the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement and called for Israeli forces to withdraw to the positions they held before Dec. 8, 2024.