Israeli forces carried out a raid in southern Syria on Friday, leaving at least 13 people dead after troops opened fire when confronted by residents, Syrian officials and local witnesses reported. The incident comes as Israel remains engaged on multiple fronts, even as a fragile ceasefire in Gaza continues.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry denounced the operation as “a horrific massacre,” saying women and children were among the dead. State news agency SANA said Israeli troops entered the village of Beit Jin to detain several men, prompting a confrontation that led to heavy gunfire. Dozens of families fled the area as the raid unfolded.
The Israeli military said it launched the operation based on intelligence to apprehend members of Jamaa Islamiya (Islamic Group) allegedly planning attacks on Israeli civilians. It said militants opened fire on Israeli soldiers, injuring six who were later hospitalized. Troops returned fire and received air support. The military said all targeted suspects were detained and several militants were killed.
Israel has viewed developments in Syria cautiously since the collapse of Bashar Assad’s government in late 2024. Following Assad’s ouster, Israeli forces took control of a former U.N. buffer zone established under a 1974 disengagement deal. Israel has conducted frequent strikes on Syrian military positions while urging the creation of a demilitarized zone south of Damascus.
Syrian authorities condemned Friday’s raid as a breach of sovereignty and urged international intervention. A local official, Walid Okasha, told the AP the dead were civilians, including a man who had been married just one day earlier.
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Beit Jin has been targeted previously: in June, Israeli forces detained several people they claimed were Hamas members and killed another man whose family said he suffered from schizophrenia.
The raid comes amid rising tensions across the region. On Thursday, Israeli airstrikes hit areas in southern Lebanon. The U.N. says Israel has killed at least 127 civilians in Lebanon since last year’s ceasefire. Tensions escalated further this week with a rare Israeli strike in Beirut that killed a senior Hezbollah commander.
Source: AP