The Syrian local authorities of the Daraa Governorate said the initial death toll from the Israeli incursion and strikes in southern Syria reached nine, along with several injuries.

In a statement on Thursday, the Daraa Governorate said the Israeli shelling took place in the Jabaliyeh Dam forest near the city of Nawa, western Daraa.

The statement noted that this was the first time the Israeli troops reached deep into the area amid widespread outrage and mass protests across the region.

The Israeli army late on Wednesday made an incursion near the city of Nawa in western Daraa Governorate, southern Syria, local media reported.

"The Israeli occupation army advanced with several military vehicles into the wooded area near the Jabaliyeh Dam, close to the city of Nawa in western Daraa, coinciding with reconnaissance aircraft activity in the area," the Daraa governorate said on Telegram.

Earlier, the Israeli fighter jets carried out at least 11 air strikes on the Syrian cities of Damascus and Hama, the Syrian news agency SANA reported.​​​​​​​

After the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime in December, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarised buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.​​​​​​​

Israel also took advantage of the regime's fall to launch hundreds of strikes that targeted military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems, and air defence installations, according to reports.