As part of its incursion into southern Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, the Israeli military has continued to maintain a presence in the al-Jazira barracks position located near Maariya in Deraa province’s Yarmouk Basin region, at the intersection of the Golan Heights, Jordan and Syria. Located just east of Maariya is the village of Koaiya.
From the outset of Israel’s incursion into Syria, there has been local suspicion that Israeli forces have been seeking to make an incursion into Koaiya. In December, Israeli forces made contact with notables in the village and demanded the surrender of weapons, as well as information on owners of agricultural land. The request to surrender weapons was rejected.