Residents of Syria’s Daraa province announced the formation of a group called “Deterrence,” established to confront IDF forces operating in southern Syria.
The group claims it was created in response to what it calls repeated Israeli operations in the region and the silence of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government. Its emergence follows a series of increasingly hostile incidents involving armed terrorists, violent disturbances, stone-throwing and a recently thwarted infiltration attempt from Syria into Israel.
The development should serve as a warning to Israel’s security establishment. The collapse of the Assad regime may have temporarily disrupted terrorist activity in Syria, but jihadist elements are once again testing Israel’s defenses and attempting to organize resistance near the border.
Southern Syria must not be treated as the territory of a reliable strategic partner. It remains a volatile jihadist arena where organized cells and individual terrorists could quickly develop into a direct threat to Israeli communities and IDF forces.
