Thousands Of People, Including Soldiers, Took Rallied In Syria To Protest Against Israel, Call For Jihad

File image.

Thousands of Syrians took to the streets across the country on March 31 and April 1 in protest against Israel’s newly approved law allowing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners.

The protesters, some of them were armed, denounced the controversial law passed by the Israeli Knesset earlier in the week and voiced support for Palestinian prisoners and the Gaza Strip. They marched on foot, in cars and on motorcycles, carrying the flags of Palestine and various Islamist banners.

The largest protests were in the southern governorates of Daraa and Quneitra, which are located on the front with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Protestors there attempted to reach the front.

Amid the protests, several videos with gunmen, mainly from Daraa and al-Qunitra, threatening Israel emerged online. Soldiers and officers from the new Syrian military also shared videos to social media with direct threats to launch attacks against Israel.

The Israeli military invaded the buffer zone adjacent to the occupied Golan Heights in the governorate of al-Qunitra right after the fall of the regime of former president, Bashar al-Assad, more than a year ago, and has since established a series of posts there, including atop of the strategic Mount Hermon.

The military has been also conducting operations in al-Qunitra, the neighboring governorates of Daraa and Rif Dimashq on a regular basis.

These operations created some serious tensions between the Israeli military and people in southern Syria, which escalated into clashes on more than one occasion.

Several armed factions calling for fighting Israel emerged over the past year, the most recent of which, the Movement to Deter the Occupation, appeared to be supportive of the new Syrian government. The group has not announced any attack yet, but it released a statement praising the latest protests.

The latest protests came amid the American-Israeli war on Iran, but the protesters didn’t voice their support to the Islamic Republic, a key ally of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Interestingly, Abu Obaida, the spokesman for the military wing of the Iran-allied Hamas Movement, praised the mass protests in Syria.

“From the heart of Gaza, and from Jerusalem and its surroundings, we salute the proud Syrian people and their masses who rose in support of the resistance, al-Aqsa, and the detainees,” he said in a statement.

“We have heard your voice, and we are proud of you,” he added.

Speaking at Chatham House in London on March 31, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said that Damascus is working to keep the country out of the ongoing regional war, warning that the country could still become a target amid escalating tensions.

“We do not have a problem with Iran in Tehran, we have a problem with Iran in Damascus… but our policy in Syria was clear – to reach Damascus, to safeguard security, and to establish economic development. We have been patient in regard to the relationship with Iran,” Sharaa said.

“Israel dealt with Syria negatively by bombing locations, making incursions into Syrian territories, and violating the 1974 agreement (between Israel and Syria)… we tried dialogue via indirect negotiations, and then direct negotiations, we reached good points, but then the Israelis changed their opinion at the last minute,” he added.

The protests may have been secretly organized by the Syrian intelligence to pressure Israel into returning to the negotiations.

In any case, this movement can be considered a natural result of the ongoing war on Iran. Israel and other allies of the United States in the region were badly hit by the Islamic Republic, and even in Lebanon, Hezbollah has been putting on surprisingly fierce resistance. Seeing this, many in Syria were likely embolden.

The mass protests should not be played down. In fact, more are being organized for April 3, across Syria. Israel, which has already launched strikes against the country amid the war on Iran, could respond to this escalation in some way or another.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: