DAMASCUS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A series of incidents across Syria over the weekend underscored the fragility of the security situation following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's government last month.

In southern Quneitra province, Israeli forces reportedly crossed into several villages on Sunday, erecting dirt barriers that disrupted civilian life and closed schools in at least one community, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory, citing eyewitnesses, said residents attempted to block the incursion, but Israeli units advanced, taking up positions and detaining at least one person in nearby Daraa province.

Tensions also persisted in northern Syria, where Turkish-backed factions within the Syrian National Army (SNA) targeted the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Manbij, northeast of Aleppo.

The observatory reported Turkish airstrikes aimed at breaching SDF defensive lines, potentially targeting strategic locations around Maskanah in the Aleppo countryside.

Over 100 fighters were killed in two days of clashes, the majority from Turkish-backed forces, according to the Observatory.

Separately, the observatory reported a surge in the circulation of small arms, much of it looted from abandoned government military depots.

The weapons, now being sold cheaply, have ended up in the hands of teenagers lacking training and awareness of the dangers, the Observatory said. Citing a doctor at Damascus' Mujtahid Hospital, the report said two to five child-related gun injuries are being treated weekly.

"They pick up stray ordinance as if they were harmless objects," the doctor said, warning of potential psychological trauma for young survivors.

In eastern Homs province, security forces continued a crackdown for a second day on Sunday, reportedly detaining around 500 people over the weekend, including former soldiers of the Assad government, according to the observatory.

The Britain-based monitor reported abuses during the raids, including mistreatment of individuals believed to have ties to the previous military and security apparatus, despite official pledges of a transparent legal process. Enditem

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