The Emirati site Aram News reported Friday that the Syrian General Security apparatus has begun preparations to deploy its forces in several areas in southern Syria near the buffer zone with Israel, marking the first such deployment since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Syrian sources cited in the report said the deployment follows Israeli approval and U.S. pressure.
Missile explosion inside an ammunition depot in the city of Hama, Syria
Meanwhile, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited the Daraa region in southern Syria for the first time since taking office. According to the Sham FM radio station, al-Joulani met his aunt during the visit — their first meeting in 30 years.
Sources speaking to Aram News explained that the Syrian forces will maintain security in cities adjacent to the buffer zone to prevent any attacks toward Israel. This comes after two rockets were launched from Syrian territory toward the Golan Heights, exploding in open areas. In response, the IDF struck regime weapons depots in southern Syria.
Additionally, the report stated that under Israeli approval, the Syrians will mostly carry light weapons. According to the sources, the decision to allow Syrian forces to deploy is tactical, not strategic, and the IDF will remain in the buffer zone.
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The recent rocket fire toward the Golan raised concerns that the security vacuum in the area poses a growing threat to Israel if Syrian forces are not allowed to deploy. This concern reportedly pushed the shift in Israel’s stance, from outright refusal to coordination regarding the deployment of Syrian security forces.
The rockets were fired from the Tasil area, a Palestinian village in southern Syria, which the IDF has recently targeted multiple times to destroy weapons caches. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by an unknown group called the “Muhammad Daif Martyrs Brigades,” which has not previously claimed responsibility for any attacks against Israel.
Following the sirens, the IDF said it responded with artillery fire. Syrian reports mentioned a fire in the rural area west of Daraa city in southern Syria. Local Syrian sources told the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen network, associated with Hezbollah, that “Israeli drones are flying over the rural areas of Quneitra and Daraa.”