Israeli troops operating in southern Syria came under fire Tuesday from a group of gunmen, the Israel Defense Forces said, while local media reported that several Syrians had been killed in the exchange of fire.

Israeli soldiers were unharmed.

The military said that at least seven gunmen opened fire on Israeli forces operating in southern Syria, close to the border.

The IDF said the troops returned fire, including with tank shelling, and an Israeli Air Force drone carried out an airstrike against the gunmen. The military was investigating which armed group they belonged to, if any.

Syrian officials reported that at least five people were killed in the incident that took place near the village of Kuwaya in the Daraa Governorate in south Syria, not far from the Israeli border. There were also reports of ground forces operating in the area.

Residents of the village had fled the Israeli fire, authorities added.

Israeli troops have been stationed inside the buffer zone along the Israel-Syria border since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.

The IDF has described its presence in the buffer zone, which was manned by UN peacekeepers until the Assad regime’s ouster, as a temporary and defensive measure, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that troops would remain there for “an unlimited period of time” to maintain Israel’s security.  Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that troops will remain deployed to nine army posts in the area........

© The Times of Israel