At least six people have been killed in an Israeli strike in southwestern Syria as Israeli troops occupying the area clashed with local residents, Syria's Foreign Ministry and a war monitor said.
"We also call on the Syrian people to hold on to their land and reject any attempts at displacement or the imposition of a new reality by force, stressing that these attacks will not deter Syrians from defending their rights and their land," a statement from the Foreign Ministry said, stating Israel was in "flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international laws."
The ministry said the six people killed were all civilians, while several people were wounded, according to reports.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said troops fired back at gunmen who attacked them, before launching a drone attack.
The UK-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the death toll at seven.
The observatory and a town resident said that clashes had erupted between Israeli troops and residents after Israeli forces tried to enter the village and were confronted by armed civilians.
Residents of the village fled the shelling and took refuge in neighbouring settlements and olive groves.
Israel seized control of a UN-patrolled buffer zone inside Syria after insurgents toppled President Bashar al-Assad and seized power in December, with Israeli officials saying they would thwart any threats against Israel.
Israeli officials have also said that they will not allow the new Syrian military to operate south of the capital Damascus, claiming that they aim to protect the Druze, a minority sect present in both Syria and Israel.
Syria's new authorities and UN officials have said Israel is violating the 1974 agreement that set up the buffer zone along the border and called for its withdrawal.
Coastal clashes
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for an investigative committee tasked with probing days of clashes and revenge attacks in Syria's coastal region that killed hundreds of civilians said they had listened to almost 100 testimonies and received dozens of written and recorded civilian and military statements.
"There are areas where the events took place that are dangerous, and some witnesses and residents are afraid to communicate with the committee," Yasser al-Farhan said at a news conference.
He declined to elaborate on the committee's findings so far.
The clashes erupted after pro-al-Assad loyalists attacked a security patrol in the coastal city of Latakia, leading to revenge killings that broadly targeted al-Assad's minority Alawite community.
The two-day violence was a major setback in Damascus' efforts to improve its image and convince Europe and the US to lift economic sanctions after over a decade of conflict.
The state-run SANA news agency also said that two internet cables were cut in an act of sabotage, cutting online access across much of the country for around 12 hours.
