Syria's new government is facing mounting criticism at home over its failure to condemn Israel for violating its air space to attack Iran, with Syrians demanding Damascus leverage its growing diplomatic relations and call for a halt to the breaches.

For a fifth consecutive day, Syrians have looked to the skies, watching as Israeli jets roar high above the clouds as the thuds from explosions bellow out — signs that Iranian drones and missiles have apparently been intercepted by U.S. weaponry over Syria.

While social media has been awash with sarcastic commentary about the hostilities between Israel and Iran — two nations many Syrian revolutionaries view as enemies — the reality on the ground has been marked by anxiety and fear, especially in Syria's southern provinces near the Israeli border.

Emad al-Basiri, an activist based in Daraa province, told Middle East Eye that fragments from drones and missiles have repeatedly fallen on residential areas, causing widespread alarm.

“People are extremely tense,” Basiri said.

“The explosions are terrifying. Drones crashing down have destroyed homes and caused agricultural fires,” he added.

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The Syrian government has failed to issue any official condemnations of the violations of its airspace — either by Israel or Iran.

This contrasts with steps taken by neighbouring Iraq, which filed an official complaint with the United Nations after Israeli aircraft crossed its airspace to strike targets in Iran.

Basiri emphasised that residents in Daraa and Quneitra feel they need protection from the new government that emerged after rebels ousted the Assad dynasty on 8 December, ending the country's brutal 14-year civil war.

"Syria's airspace and borders are completely unguarded," he said, adding that the nearest Syrian security forces are about nine-kilometres from the Israeli border.

"We call on the government to take control of the borders."

Meanwhile, Israeli patrols have continued to enter Syrian territory, and have carried out dozens of arbitrary arrests and killed one person last week.

Fadel Abdul Ghany, the director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, told MEE that the Syrian government should file a complaint with the UN Security Council under Articles 35 and 51 of the UN Charter.

These articles allow nations to defend themselves and request international action to halt hostilities on their territory.

“The Syrian government must step up its diplomatic efforts,” Abdul Ghany said.

“It should oppose the militarisation of its airspace, demand a humanitarian flight corridor, and assert its neutrality by rejecting the use of its skies for any hostile actions.”