Israeli air defenses shot down several Iranian drones over Syria’s southern Daraa province on Monday, causing material damage to residential areas, but no reported casualties, according to Syrian state and local media.
One drone crashed into a house in the northern neighborhood of the city of Nawa in western Daraa after being intercepted by Israeli air defenses, partially damaging the building but causing no injuries, Syria’s state-run Alikhbaria TV reported.
Local outlet Daraa 24 said another Iranian drone went down near a house in the village of Khirbet Qais, also in western Daraa. There were no injuries or material losses, it said.
Separately, the “Horan Free” gathering reported that an Iranian missile intercepted by Israeli forces before dawn landed near the town of Jasim in northern Daraa, igniting a fire in a tent housing a Bedouin family. The blaze was quickly contained and no injuries were reported.
In a third incident, an Israeli warplane shot down a drone over the city of al-Sanamayn in northern Daraa, triggering a fire in the basement of a house near the “National Hospital” and destroying a motorcycle. No casualties were reported.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sheikh Ahmed Arab, an imam and preacher at a mosque in the city of Nawa, said: “Israeli warplanes and Iranian drones and missiles violate Syrian airspace on a near-daily basis since the outbreak of hostilities between the two countries.”
“Their aerial confrontations unfold above our heads, and debris from aircraft and missiles often falls in towns and villages like Nawa, al-Sanamayn, al-Rafid, and Nafaah, causing material damage,” he added.
“It’s deeply troubling and worrisome for us as civilians, but we are powerless to stop it.”
Arab stressed the need for international protection of Syrian airspace, calling for measures to prevent both Israeli and Iranian aircraft and missiles from operating over the country.
“There must be international oversight to stop Israeli warplanes and Iranian drones and missiles from violating Syrian airspace,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Moreover, residents in the Yarmouk Basin region of western Daraa, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, had received warning messages on their mobile phones, believed to be from Israel, he revealed.
The local Horan Free gathering website, which covers developments in southern Syria, posted a screenshot of one such message, titled “Emergency Alert – Maximum Level.”
“In the next few minutes, alerts are expected in your area,” the message read. “You must move to the nearest protected location. If an alert is received, enter a shelter and remain there until further notice.”
Mufleh Salem al-Suleiman, a resident of the town of Koayiah in the Yarmouk Basin region of western Daraa, voiced strong frustration over what he described as Syria’s skies becoming a “battleground” for Iran and Israel.
“The Syrian sky is violated by Israeli warplanes and Iranian aircraft and missiles. Debris from these clashes is falling on our homes and destroying them,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“People, especially children, are terrified. Many are staying indoors or even sheltering in basements out of fear.”
“Israel and Iran are fighting in the skies of other nations, above the heads of their people and at their expense,” he added, calling for international protection of Syrian airspace.
