DARAA, Syria, March 15 (Xinhua) -- In the quiet farmland of southwestern Syria, residents who once believed the worst of their country's war was over now said they are living in fear once more.
Fragments of drones and missiles have recently fallen across villages in Daraa province, part of the widening conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States.
In the town of Al-Ajami, pieces of a drone crashed into farmland near homes on March 5, frightening residents and sending children fleeing indoors.
"It terrified the children, the families and even the students at the school," resident Ahmad Mousa al-Dawari told Xinhua. "Now there is fear in the village because of the aircraft flying above us. We have nothing to do with what is happening."
Officials under the interim government have repeatedly claimed neutrality in the regional conflict, but its effects are already casting a shadow over the daily lives of residents.
In Jlein, another intercepted Iranian drone fell on Tuesday, its fragments scattering across parts of the village, residents said.
Adham Khaled told Xinhua that villagers have seen drones and aircraft in the skies almost daily in recent weeks.
"A man here lives in a tent with his children and it caught fire, but the villagers managed to put it out," Khaled said.
Mohammad Mousa Ali, another Jlein resident, told Xinhua the constant anxiety has changed daily life in the village.
"We are living in psychological terror because of the missiles and drones," he said. "We can't let our children play outside. A few nights ago we were sleeping and suddenly there was an explosion. The whole village woke up and people started running."
Ali is concerned that his young son could stumble upon the unexploded debris left scattered after interceptions in the sky.
"Sometimes he wants to play in the street, and I'm afraid he might find something from the drone fragments," Ali said.
After more than a decade of internal conflict that led to the downfall of former President Bashar al-Assad, many people here had hoped the worst was over.
Now, in a province already scarred by years of destruction and displacement, people said this renewed tension feels like a particularly cruel turn.
"This area suffered before from war and shelling, and people were displaced many times," said Ismail Jizawi, a Jlein resident. "After we believed safety had finally returned, drones started exploding in the sky over the village again, and their fragments fall everywhere."
Ahmad Qaabour, also from the village, described the recent weeks as surreal.
"Because of the war between Iran and Israel, it feels like we are living in a horror movie," he said. "We lived through 14 years of shelling before, but we never saw missiles exploding above our village like this."
In one recent incident, Qaabour said, fragments from an intercepted drone ignited the tent a family was living in.
"If the villagers hadn't rushed to help, the tent with the women and children inside could have burned," he said.
Although large-scale fighting has subsided in recent years, many communities in Daraa remain fragile, plagued by poverty, ruined infrastructure, and hidden explosives. As regional tensions rise, fears grow that this tenuous recovery could be shattered by renewed war.
For people in villages like Jlein and Al-Ajami, their wish is simple: After years of conflict, they do not want to, and cannot endure another one.
"We don't want anything (else)," Khaled said, "just peace." ■
