“Civil Society Spotlight” is a series aiming at highlighting and contextualising the voices of Syrian civil society organizations, activists, journalists, and people who advocate for positive solutions, human rights, democratic values, and social justice.
The context
With the escalation of Israeli attacks and incursions into Syria and the government's weak stance in confronting them, the people of southern Syria have been left alone in a direct confrontation with the Israeli army, with 15 killed and tens wounded in two attacks, one against the Koya village and the other was close to Nawa city, between late March and early April 2025.
In response, the country is witnessing a large wave of popular and civilian actions denouncing the Israeli aggression. Social, civil, feminist, and human rights voices from different regions mobilised to reject the repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty and to mourn the Syrian civilians who were killed by IDF fire.
This article focuses on three aspects of the Syrian response to the Israeli aggression: Popular mobilisations in the squares, how opinion leaders are analysing and narrating these events, and the civil society organisations’ statements and lobbying activities in international arenas.
Demonstrations across different geographies and sects
On the 2nd and the 3rd of April 2025, an Israeli incursion near the city of Nawa in Daraa killed nine civilians and wounded 15 others in a drone strike on the nearby Harsh al-Jabiliya, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). This coincided with aerial bombardments of several locations in Damascus, Homs and Hama.
The attacks triggered a wave of angry demonstrations across Syrian cities and regions. In Idlib, demonstrators prayed for the victims in Daraa and held banners emphasising solidarity with the region. In Aleppo, a demonstration also expressed solidarity with Gaza and chanted slogans against Israel. In Damascus, demonstrators enthusiastically chanted “The people want to declare jihad”, waving Syrian and Palestinian flags.
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Hundreds protested to condemn the Israeli aggression and emphasised their belonging to Syria in the square al Karama (Dignity) in Sweida, in the South. At the same time, as the video shows, there was disagreement among the demonstrators, as some of them refused to chant slogans against Turkey interference as well.
The coastal cities of Masyaf and Tartous also witnessed mass demonstrations, with protesters once again chanting “Oh Daraa, we are with you to death”.
In the southern Syrian city of Nawa, the epicentre of the events, the funeral of the victims of the Israeli attack attracted mourners from Daraa and other Syrian provinces. The funeral turned into a large demonstration attended by tens of thousands, and the images were widely shared by Syrians on social media. In the following days, the mourning council turned into a platform for the exchange of messages of solidarity between Syrians from different regions and sects. Groups of mourners have joined from many Syrian regions, with the participation of civil forces, dignitaries, clerics and representatives of religious institutions such as the Ismaili Islamic Council, as well as Christian and Muslim clerics who came from Damascus and its countryside. It was clear that the popular movement against the Israeli aggression crosses geographical, sectarian and ethnic divisions in Syria, paving a new ground for social cohesion in the face of an external threat.
Opinion Leaders' Narratives
On the night of the incursion, on the 3rd of April 2025, there were no government forces guarding the border, as Israel has threatened in advance to bomb any government military presence. The people of Nawa and Tasil, as well as the village of Koya before them, came face to face with an Israeli army column advancing into their lands and farms. That night, the city's mosques called for anyone with weapons to come out to stop the advancing column. Hundreds of local young people responded and gathered with their light and medium weapons, engaging the incursion force at a distance and ultimately forcing it to withdraw.
In the face of the heavy toll in only one night (nine victims and more people wounded), opinion leaders and Syrian activists differed between those who praised Daraa's resistance and those who called for not being dragged into a losing battle. For example, US-based activist Mohammed al-Abdallah posted a lengthy comment on his Facebook account, saying that Syria is a devastated country and that is irresponsible to ask the new regime to intervene militarily at the price of more bloodshed in the South.
Moreover, Al-Abdallah linked the Israeli air attacks on Hama airport, T4 airport and other locations during the night of the incursion to the expansion of Turkish influence in Syria, suggesting that it would be better to make pressure on Arab governments (especially those who have normalised relationships with Israel) and other international actors in order to halt the Israeli aggression.
Similarly, activist Majed Abd Alnoor wrote a post inviting to stop calling the people of Daraa to mobilise against a “ruthless enemy”.
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This dangerous situation for the people of Daraa is further emphasised by researcher Malik Hafez, who criticised voices among government supporters who were calling for a military escalation. In the post he says: “Some voices close to the authorities have begun to flaunt phrases such as ‘Syria, its army, its people’, calling on people to mobilise and engage in battles that have no meaning. This is not just a delusion: it is political adolescence. If the authority does not have a clear concept of sovereignty... It would be better for those who speak on its behalf to refrain from slogans, and not abusing people who have been exhausted by the years (of war) and demanding them what they themselves are unable to do”.
Ibrahim Hariri, a young journalist from Daraa, posted a video on his Facebook account to send two different messages to Syrians abroad: “We are not in a liberation battle, we are only resisting the potential entry into our homes, the praise coming from Syrians abroad in particular is commendable, but some are trying to drag us into what we do not want.” And also: “Israel is taking advantage of the absence of the state and will continue to attack and test the ability of the people of Daraa to resist, which is an honour we accept, but what would really help us is the participation of the Druze people of Horan in resisting the occupation, which would be a real embarrassment for Israel.”
State immobilism faced by civil society activism
Inside a bus travelling from Aleppo to Daraa, a group of young Syrian men sang a song that goes “For you Daraa, we stand together, from our freedom, we won't go back”. The bus was part of a convoy that passed through Homs, the coast, Salamiye and Damascus until it reached Nawa in order to mourn the victims of the Israeli attack. It was part of a campaign launched by a diverse group of local activists and organisations under the title #theSyrianSect. The campaign is only one of the initiatives aimed at strengthening social cohesion in Syria and sending a message to the families of the victims and the threatened population in Daraa that they are not alone and reasserting that “Syria is one body, Daraa's pain is our pain, and our unity is our weapon in the face of every aggressor”, as stated in the published text of the campaign.
There have been other civic initiatives, including one from Rawabet, a newly founded civic organisation comprising activists from different sects and regions of Syria. Some of the activists visited the village of Koya in Daraa, where seven people were killed in an Israeli bombing on the morning of 25th of March. They spoke directly to a council that included the families of the victims and villagers, expressing their support and solidarity. During the meeting, a woman said: “Our message is that we are with you, whatever the differences, we are as responsible as you are for defending this land, its unity and stability...You paid the price this time, but you protected all of Syria”.
Wasl Network was also present at the council and issued a statement of condolences for the victims, condemning the aggression and calling on the government to take action. Later, on the 28th of March, Wasl Network also organised a protest in Umayyad Square in Damascus to denounce the Israeli occupation.
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Other Syrian CSOs have focused on lobbying and advocacy in international arenas. An example is the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), which briefed the UN Human Rights Council's regular meeting on the Israeli violations.
The issue was also raised at a meeting of Syrian civil society representatives, including the Syrian Civil Defence, at a meeting with the Minister for Middle East Affairs and other figures in the UK. The Syrian Network for Human Rights was also active in issuing a statement of condemnation calling for an international investigation into the recent Israeli attacks, labelling them a “violation of international humanitarian law”. Finally, a group of Syrian and international NGOs issued a joint statement with 25 organisations condemning the attacks and calling on the international community to assume its responsibility.
The movement provoked by the recent Israeli attacks went beyond the momentary anger to take on a cumulative character, combining popular protest, critical insights from opinion leaders, and organised civil society action. What distinguishes the current movement is that it is decentralised, diverse, and not controlled by political factions, giving it the credibility and inclusiveness needed in the complex Syrian landscape. In such a critical moment, characterised by any substantial reaction or statement on the part of the government, it seems that civil society has decided to speak up and redefine what sovereignty, resistance, and solidarity mean.
List of main CSOs and activists included in this article
Mohamed al Abdallah, Executive director of the Syria Justice and Accountability Center
Malek Hafez, political scientist
The Syria Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression
