DAMASCUS (Dispatches) -- 
Syria recorded 231 deaths from ongoing violence in July, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, as Israeli incursions into southern Syria continue almost daily—a dual crisis exposing both the fragility of the country’s security and the failures of its new leadership under Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, a former al-Qaeda and Daesh deputy.
The observatory said civilians accounted for 202 of the casualties—166 men and youths, 16 women, and 20 children—resulting from local infighting, homicide, stray gunfire, landmine explosions, targeted killings, torture, and bombings attributed to various parties. 
Since President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, Israel has carried out 879 ground and aerial incursions into southern Syria, with activity now almost daily. 
Villages in Daraa province—including Maariya and al-Aarda—have seen Israeli forces enter with military vehicles and bulldozers, setting up checkpoints, searching homes, and damaging electrical infrastructure. Residents report restrictions on farming, night raids, and widespread fear.
“Without the land, we cannot live at all,” Abu Atef, an 80-year-old al-Aarda resident, told Xinhua. The incursions have disrupted agricultural work and left communities preparing to flee at short notice.
Yet Syria’s de facto leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani—formerly a deputy to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Al-Qaeda in Iraq who later joined Daesh before breaking away to form Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)—has remained largely silent. 
Despite vowing to consolidate power and disarm factions, Jolani has taken no meaningful action against Israeli violations of Syria’s sovereignty, instead pursuing diplomatic channels for a security agreement with Israel, according to reports.
Nearly half of Syria lies in ruins, with the World Bank estimating reconstruction costs at $216 billion—nearly ten times Syria’s GDP. Over 1.64 million refugees have returned to find collapsed buildings, exposed wiring, and no functioning utilities. Hundreds of thousands of landmines remain buried, killing civilians as families return to contaminated land.
Under Jolani’s HTS rule, sectarian violence has persisted. Human rights groups have documented ethnic cleansing and forced conversions of religious minorities including Druze and Christians, alongside detention and execution of activists.  
With more than 16.7 million Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance and 80 percent of families struggling to secure food, the international community has condemned Israeli actions as violations of Syrian sovereignty. But critics point to Jolani’s spineless inaction and his priority—lifting sanctions—over protecting Syrian civilians or territory.
“The region must move from being an arena where rivals compete to becoming an active force in shaping the major strategies that will determine our future,” Syrian politician Muhammad Sabra said. For now, that future appears increasingly uncertain.