Demonstrators gather outside the United Nations office in Damascus on October 23, 2026, to protest Israeli incursions into Syrian territory. Photo courtesy of the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack was asked at a security forum in Qatar on October 20 whether Washington should press Israel to halt its military operations in Syria. He replied, “It’s time to stop it,” though he expressed uncertainty about whether the United States should intervene. The following day, Barrack met Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at the People’s Palace in Damascus.
Between October 22 and 23, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units entered al-Hurriya in Quneitra province and searched homes. They also demolished an abandoned house near al-Hamidiyah, shelled areas around the village and the Bir Ajam woodland, and arrested a shepherd near Hadar. Other Israeli forces, accompanied by a bulldozer and several military vehicles, advanced west of al-Zaroura farm and closed several roads.
In neighboring Daraa province, Israeli troops shot and killed Muath Salama Al-Baeer, a man with Down syndrome, during an overnight raid on the village of Jamla on October 22. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Israeli forces entered the village’s eastern neighborhood and deployed snipers on residential rooftops. Residents told the Associated Press that Al-Baeer was unarmed when he was shot.
The IDF said soldiers identified a suspect approaching them, followed procedures for apprehending a suspect, and opened fire when he continued advancing despite warnings. It said the incident is under review. Syria’s civil defense agency said Israeli troops placed Al-Baeer’s body on a border fence, where it was later found.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said this was the first rooftop sniper deployment it had recorded in Jamla since the fall of the Assad regime. It called for an independent investigation into the killing.
On October 23, hundreds of Syrians rallied in Damascus, Homs, Daraa, Quneitra, and Hasaka to protest Israeli incursions. Demonstrators carried posters reading “We are all Moaz,” referring to Al-Baeer. Outside the UN building in Damascus, relatives of a Syrian man detained by Israel called for his release, while children held signs reading “I want my dad.”
UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone deplored the killing of “a young Syrian civilian with a disability by Israeli forces,” adding that “Israel must fully respect Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law.”
According to the Syrian presidency, Barrack’s meeting with al-Sharaa covered regional and domestic developments and opportunities for bilateral coordination. Barrack praised al-Sharaa’s management of the transition and said Damascus had shown a serious willingness to negotiate a security agreement with Israel. In a post after the meeting, he wrote that Syria plays a “pivotal role in securing lasting peace.” The two men had previously met on September 23 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Washington has supervised several meetings between Israeli and Syrian officials aimed at reaching a security agreement. The talks have addressed halting Israeli attacks and returning Israeli forces to the 1974 armistice line adjacent to the Golan Heights.
Israel has given no indication that it intends to withdraw. After the Assad regime fell in December 2024, Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement void, took control of the UN-patrolled buffer zone, and seized positions beyond it.
During an August 25 visit to Israeli troops in southern Syria, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army “will not move from Mount Hermon and the security zone” as long as jihadist threats against Israel persist. Days later, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had established a “security belt” in Syria to prevent a possible “jihadist invasion” from Syrian territory.
Israeli operations have intensified. On October 9, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported about 280 incursions by armed Israeli forces into Syria in September, the highest monthly total since the start of the year. These included raids on homes, restrictions on movement, arbitrary detention, and destruction of livelihoods.
The office said 49 Syrians remained in Israeli custody but cautioned that it had not independently verified the full number. At least 14 long-term detainees were released in August and September, while new detentions continued. Released detainees alleged beatings, prolonged forced standing, and threats against their families.
Israel cites jihadist threats to justify its presence in southern Syria, while the Syrian government is conducting its own campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS). Damascus joined the coalition led by the United States against ISIS last year.
On October 22, the same day as the Jamla raid, Syria’s Internal Security Forces and General Intelligence Service raided an ISIS cell in Rankous, about 45 kilometers northwest of Damascus. The Interior Ministry said five members of the cell were killed and six arrested. Weapons and explosive belts were seized. Two security personnel were killed and five wounded.
The Rankous raid followed an October 16 operation in which Syrian intelligence foiled an ISIS plot to bomb a police patrol in the Damascus countryside. After Rankous residents questioned the raid, the Interior Ministry pledged to release its findings and evidence once the investigation and legal proceedings were complete.
The post U.S. Envoy Tells Israel to Stop Syria Operations as IDF Pushes Deeper Into Quneitra appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
