October 25, 2026
In the wake of the intense Israeli strikes that targeted the buffer zone in southern Syria, widespread and sudden public anger erupted over the weekend. Several Syrian governorates, considered among the main strongholds of the authority led by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, witnessed massive anti-Tel Aviv demonstrations, which included escalatory chants and a direct threat to target the Israeli depth.
According to a video report by the Israeli Radio and Television Corporation “Kan”, the demonstrators in Idlib (northwestern Syria) chanted slogans threatening the Israelis, saying: “Oh Zionist, be patient, be patient, in Syria we will dig your grave,” while the throats of the protesters in the city of Homs (center of the country) chanted, “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return.” The escalation reached its peak in Al-Hasakah Governorate (northeast), where protesters burned the Israeli flag and chanted a promise to reach “the heart of Tel Aviv.”
These angry demonstrations coincide with growing official concern in Damascus about imminent Israeli military movementsReports indicate, according to Kan and Al-Modon newspaper, that Israel has intensified its arming of Druze groups in Suwayda, in preparation for expanding its activity in the buffer zone ahead of the Israeli elections. While Syrian security sources close to Damascus confirm that there is no intention to open an escalation front against Israel or in Jabal al-Druze, the escalating tension is emerging on the ground and popularly, putting the region in the face of dangerous escalation possibilities that the Syrian leadership does not want, but is facing on the street.
