Israeli occupation forces have indiscriminately opened fire toward the al-Hamidiyah and al-Hurriya forests in the Quneitra countryside, local sources told Al Mayadeen amid movements the IOF suspected near the "disengagement line".

This comes in light of the IOF having established seven permanent positions throughout the buffer zone along the line, which stretches across the rural areas of Damascus, Daraa, and Quneitra.

The positions are as follows: Hermon 1, Hermon 2, and the Beit Jinn Gap on the slopes of Mount Sheikh in the southwestern rural area of Damascus; Qurs al-Nafal Hill, west of Hader in northern Quneitra; Kassarat Jubat al-Khashab in northern Quneitra; the 74th barracks in southern Quneitra; and the al-Jazeera barracks at the Syrian-Jordanian border in the Yarmouk Basin in western Daraa.

Points 1 and 2 in Mount Hermon provide a strategic vantage point, overlooking the capital Damascus and its entire western suburbs. 

To date, "Israel" has completely occupied nearly 500 square kilometers of southern Syria, demolishing all Syrian military sites on the slopes of Mount Hermon and the hills of Quneitra and Daraa.

The Israeli occupation's military has expanded its advance in southern Syria, starting from the town of Sayda and moving eastward, advancing 9 kilometers deep, reaching three important water bodies in the area: Sheikh Hussein, the Sahm Golan Dam, and the western Bakara.

IOF admit to opening fire on protesters in southern Syria

Earlier in the day, the Israeli occupation forces acknowledged their use of live ammunition against protesters in southern Syria, claiming the action targeted what they described as a "threat." 

According to an IOF statement, one protester sustained a gunshot wound to the leg in the village of Maaria.

The incident unfolded during a demonstration against the Israeli military presence and its encroachment on agricultural lands in the area.

Residents of the multiple towns in the Yarmouk Basin, in the western Daraa countryside, in southern Syria, protested on Friday the presence of Israeli occupation forces in the area.

Locals demanded the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the area, specifically the al-Jazeera barracks. Demonstrators demanded an immediate halt to Israeli incursions into Syrian territory, calling on the international community to intensify efforts and exert pressure on the Israeli entity to ensure compliance with international laws and sovereignty.

Read more: UNSC extends UNDOF mandate in Golan Heights for another 6 months