DAMASCUS (Dispatches) -- Israeli jets launched several airstrikes on various sites in southern Syria late Tuesday, shortly after a deadly attack on eastern Lebanon that killed two people and injured three. 
The strikes were distributed between the southern governorates of Suwayda, Dera’a, and the countryside of Syria’s capital, Damascus. 
Large explosions were heard in video footage circulating on social media. The Zionist army said it targeted “military targets in southern Syria, including headquarters and sites containing weapons.”
According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a number of people were killed and injured, including civilians and members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) Syrian Military Operations Department.
The attacks coincided with a continued expansion of Israeli occupation forces across Syria’s south, and unrest among citizens of the southern governorates who have been protesting against Tel Aviv’s recent statements threatening any Syrian forces or armed factions against positioning themselves in the area.
Benjamin Netanyahu warned a few days ago that Israel will work for the “complete demilitarization” of southern Syria. Syrians have taken to the streets in response to these statements.
Israeli war minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that “the air force attacked forcefully” sites in southern Syria “as part of the new policy we have set to tame” the area. 
Earlier on Tuesday night, the Israeli army struck the Janta area in eastern Lebanon. Two people were killed and three injured, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. 
Israel has continued its non-stop violations of the Lebanon ceasefire and continues to occupy the country’s south despite the expiration of the withdrawal deadline.
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli attacks on Syria as “a blatant attack on 
Syrian sovereignty” and “a continuation of the bullying policy of the occupying Zionist entity against Arab nations.”
“We call on the Arab and Muslim states as well as the United Nations to assume their responsibility towards the growing Zionist crimes,” it said in a statement.
The Gaza-based group urged the international community and UN bodies to denounce Israeli raids, and prosecute the regime’s leaders as war criminals for their frequent crimes and violations of the international law.
Across Syria, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against foreign intervention, following Netanyahu’s incendiary comments. 
Demonstrators gathered in Al-Karama Square in the Druze-majority central city of Suwayda to voice their opposition specifically to Netanyahu’s recent call for the “demilitarization” of southern Syria. 
“From Suwayda to Qamishlo, and from Dara’a to Idlib ... Syria belongs to the Syrians, not the property of any alliance or mandate,” chanted the demonstrators.
The protests united diverse communities, including Sunni, Christian, Druze, and Kurdish citizens, showcasing a collective stance against external pressures and occupations, particularly from Turkey and the Israeli regime. 
The protesters expressed strong contempt for both Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asserting that they do not represent the interests of the Syrian people.
They called for solidarity among all Syrian communities, stressing that all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliations, “are united by a single history and an indivisible identity represented by citizenship on the geography of the country.” 
The demonstrators urged the current rulers in Damascus to take a firm stand against foreign interventions and uphold national sovereignty.
In a show of solidarity, protests also erupted in Quneitra, where residents condemned Netanyahu’s remarks as indicative of Israel’s intentions to fragment Syrian territory.
Protesters in Quneitra characterized their demonstrations as a direct response to the ongoing Israeli occupation and called for international pressure to ensure Israel’s compliance with the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria. 
As the protests continued, demonstrators in Quneitra raised banners promoting “Syrian unity” and denouncing division, reinforcing the message that the land rightfully belongs to its inhabitants. 
Similarly, the city of Aleppo witnessed a public gathering in Saadallah al-Jabiri Square in protest against Netanyahu’s recent remarks.
Dozens of protesters also gathered outside the UN office in Damascus, condemning Netanyahu’s comments and Israel’s violations of Syria’s sovereignty.
The protests came after Netanyahu called for the “complete demilitarization” of southern Syria, suggesting a prolonged Israeli military presence in the area, particularly around the strategic Jabal al-Shaykh and the buffer zone in Quneitra, Dara’a, and Suwayda.
Netanyahu has said that Israel “would not permit” forces affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham or the new Syrian army to enter the area south of Damascus. 
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Tel Aviv had begun implementing a strategy to “enter southern Syria and control” the region. 
Israeli forces occupied large swathes of the UN-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory, which was set up under a 1974 ceasefire agreement, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.
Following the downfall, the Israeli military has been launching airstrikes against military installations, facilities, and arsenals belonging to Syria’s now-defunct army.