°®Âþµº

Protests were held on Monday in the southwestern Syrian governorate of Quneitra against the presence of Israeli forces in the area.

The protesters, who came from the town of Khan Arnaba and its nearby villages, gathered outside the governorate's building in the city of al-Baath.

Khan Arnaba Mukhtar Mohammed al-Jarida told °®Âþµº's Arabic-language service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that locals displayed banners slamming the Israeli incursion that took place during a visit of the United Nations' deputy envoy to the area.

Al-Jarida said the UN delegation left Syria for Israel via the occupied Golan Heights, accompanied by US media.

Activist Saeed al-Mohammed slammed the stances of the US and Israeli governments on the status of the Golan Heights, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967 and annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised by the international community. In 2019, US President Donald Trump signed an order recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian land. 

He added that the UN envoy pledged to speak to Israeli authorities about residents' demands that their forces leave Quneitra.

The activist slammed what he said was the UN's "inaction" on Israel's expansion into Syria since last year.

Al-Mohammed also questioned why Syria's transitional government had not directly addressed the issue of the Israeli occupation and expansion.

Israeli forces entered Quneitra - which lies in a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights that was established by a 1974 disengagement deal -  soon after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December.

The Israeli military has also made incursions into Syrian territory outside of the buffer zone, sparking protests by residents.

They said the Israeli forces had demolished homes and blocked farmers from going to their fields in some areas. On at least two occasions, Israeli troops reportedly opened fire on protesters who approached them.

This article is based on a report from °®Âþµº's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.