Daraa/Quneitra, Oct. 26 (SANA) Journalists in Syria’s southern provinces of Daraa and Quneitra say they have faced repeated threats, gunfire, shelling and pursuit while reporting on Israeli military incursions and alleged violations, raising concerns about their safety and ability to document developments on the ground.
Ayman al-Mohammad, SANA’s reporter in Quneitra, said Israeli forces fired nine shells at him and several colleagues as they covered the crash of an Iranian drone in the village of Western Samdaniya.
He said journalists had also been pursued while covering Israeli incursions in the northern and southern countryside of Quneitra, warning that such incidents put reporters at risk and hinder their work.
Sanad Hamad, a reporter for the Quneitra Media Directorate, told SANA that incidents targeting journalists had recurred. He said Israeli forces raided his home and fired live ammunition toward him and his reporting team during an incursion.
Journalists say threats obstruct field reporting
Suleiman al-Mohammad, a journalist and activist working in the Yarmouk Basin area, documents Israeli incursions and reported violations in southern Syria, according to the supplied account.
Muawiya al-Zoubi, head of the Journalists’ Union branch in Daraa, said what he described as continuing Israeli violations since Syria’s liberation reflected a systematic effort to conceal facts and distort the image of southern Syria.
Journalists had faced pursuit and direct targeting, including tracking by drones, in what al-Zoubi said were attempts to prevent them from conveying developments to international audiences.
He said the Journalists’ Union supported journalists, media workers and activists, describing their work documenting incidents and conveying the experiences of affected residents as an important part of media coverage in Syria.
A journalist whose name is not provided in the source said Israeli forces sought to prevent reporters from conveying residents’ voices to the outside world and interfered with communications. The journalist said media workers remained determined to continue reporting despite pursuit by drones and live fire.
Reporters describe risks during military operations
Shadi Abu Zaid, a reporter for Al-Ikhbariya television in Quneitra, said journalists faced direct risks while covering Israeli incursions, the establishment of temporary checkpoints and reported abductions of young men.
He said field assignments had involved gunfire, shelling and direct threats against journalists.
Field reporting helps document incidents affecting residents in southern Syria and bring their experiences to wider public attention, the source account said.
Israeli incursions in Daraa and Quneitra have continued alongside reports of temporary checkpoints, home raids and civilian arrests. Journalists say they have also been targeted or obstructed while carrying out their duties, complicating efforts to report developments in the area.
R.D/RK
