RESIDENTS of the southern Syrian town of Abdin blocked roads to resist an Israeli military incursion at the weekend, with some throwing stones in retaliation for gunfire.

Israeli troops fired warning shots before targeting the village with artillery rounds, local people said.

No-one was harmed, but most residents fled and were still too afraid to return on Monday, fearing further raids.

According to resident Mohammad al-Hassan, Israeli forces enter the village regularly in armoured vehicles to search houses.

“Women and children start screaming — it’s a terrifying thing, them coming here,” he said.

Israel seized control of the United Nations-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024, following the overthrow of long-standing president Bashar al-Assad.

Though this was initially described as a temporary measure, top Israeli officials have said more recently that their plan is to occupy the zone indefinitely.

Along with territory seized in Gaza and Lebanon, Israel’s government claims these areas are needed to prevent attacks by insurgent groups, but some officials have hinted at the aim of a “greater Israel.”

The clashes came hours after Israeli forces killed two men near the village of Hadar. An Israeli military official claimed that they were militants planning an attack.

Hadar Mayor Imad Hassoun said the men were not from the village, adding that their bodies had been taken by Israeli forces.

US-mediated talks in France between Israel and Syria, aimed at reaching a security agreement, appear to have stalled.

Many residents are leaving the area to escape the unstable security situation and a lack of jobs and services.

Sobhi al-Tawlbi, 66, said farmers had struggled to access their yield and sources of water.

“We need the government to support us a little so we can remain steadfast in our villages,” he said, calling on the international community to press Israel to halt its incursions.