Damascus calls on Syrians to reject any attempt to displace them

People wave opposition flags and gather around in the center of Aleppo to celebrate the collapse of the 61-year-long Baath regime in Syria and the end of the Assad family’s rule on December 13, 2024, in Aleppo, Syria [Kasım Rammah – Anadolu Agency]

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression on Syrian territory, which has witnessed a dangerous escalation in the village of Koya in the western Daraa countryside. Yesterday morning, the village was subjected to intense artillery and air strikes targeting residential neighbourhoods and farms, killing six civilians, with the death toll likely to continue to rise due to serious injuries and the targeting of agricultural areas.

In a statement issued yesterday evening, the ministry noted that “this escalation has occurred in the context of a series of violations beginning with Israeli forces advancing into the Quneitra and Daraa governorates, as part of an ongoing aggression on Syrian territory, in flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law.”

It stressed its categorical rejection of these crimes, calling for an international investigation into the crimes committed against innocent civilians as well as investigating Israeli violations.

It also called on the Syrian people to hold on to their land and reject any attempts to displace them or impose a new reality by force, stressing that “these attacks will not deter Syrians from defending their rights and their land.”

Five Syrian civilians were killed and others were wounded yesterday morning after Israeli occupation forces bombed the town of Koya in the Yarmouk Basin area in the western Daraa countryside.

The Daraa Governorate reported that occupation forces shelled the town of Koya with tank shells during their raid, killing five civilians and wounding several, including a woman. The statement noted that the numbers are expected to rise.

The town has witnessed a displacement of residents toward neighbouring villages and towns due to the continued shelling by the occupation forces stationed at the Al-Jazira barracks, according to the Horan Free League website.

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