New Syrian resistance faction begins operations against Israeli occupation forces
The group also announced it would carry out operations against 'the terrorist gangs' led by former ISIS and Al-Qaeda warlord Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was appointed as Syria's transitional president this week
A newly formed Syrian resistance faction, calling itself the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria (IRFS), has claimed responsibility for an attack on 31 January against Israeli occupation forces in the southern governorate of Quneitra.
With this attack, the new resistance group announced the start of its operations "against the Israeli enemy alongside our operations against the terrorist gangs of Julani," referring to self-appointed transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa – the former deputy commander of ISIS and founder of Al-Qaeda in Syria.
The IRFS noted that Friday's operation forced Israeli troops to "retreat and withdraw." "[We will not allow Israel] to occupy our land, and we will be on the lookout for you and the Julani gangs with our precise ambushes and surprise attacks."
Earlier in the day, Israeli Army Radio reported that armed men opened fire on Israeli occupation forces in the Quneitra countryside, with no casualties reported. Correspondent Doron Kadosh described it as a "particularly unusual incident," marking the first time in two months that armed men have reached "the area of operation of our forces and opened fire on them."
"A group calling itself the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria claimed responsibility for firing at our forces ... and it is too early to know whether this is the beginning of organized armed resistance to IDF activity in Syria," said Kadosh.
The IRFS is reportedly largely made up of Syria's Shia minority sect and was launched as an offshoot of the Syrian Socialist National Party (SSNP).
On 17 December, the SSNP issued an official statement announcing the establishment of the Southern Liberation Front, changing the name weeks later to the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria. According to a statement, this group was established to “protect the Syrian people and push Israel out of Syrian territory.”
Immediately following the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad on 8 December 2024 by former ISIS and Al-Qaeda factions, Israel expanded its occupation of Syrian territory, facing no opposition from the de facto authorities.
The occupying forces established six military points in Syria's Quneitra Governorate, including in Hadar, the village of Qurs al-Nafal, and Al-Tulul al-Hamr (in the northern governorate), Al-Hamidiyah, Kodna, and another near Al-Mantara Dam (in the south).
On 28 January, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the army will “indefinitely” occupy the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and other areas in south Syria.
“The IDF will remain at the summit of the Hermon and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel,” Katz said during a visit to the occupied Syrian territory.