IDF Strikes Syria After Gunfire Targets Buffer-Zone Post

IDF troops operating at a southern Syria position near Tel Qudna came under gunfire overnight between Sunday and Monday, and the military said there were no Israeli casualties. Forces returned fire with mortars and artillery, while an attack helicopter struck an open area after the threat was identified. Syrian state media reported Israeli strikes around Abdin in Daraa province and residents leaving nearby homes, while Hezbollah-linked outlets amplified displacement claims. For Israel, the incident underscores why a guarded buffer zone remains necessary after the Assad regime's fall: jihadist and Iranian-backed actors must not be allowed to turn southern Syria into another launchpad against the Golan and northern communities.