Syria
Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on July 23, 2025. AFP file photo
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 13 people, including two children, were killed and over two dozen injured on Friday during an Israeli military operation in southern Syria, according to state media.
An Israeli strike targeted the village of Beit Jinn in the Qatana District of Rif Dimashq province, the Syrian News Channel reported, adding that drones were flying over a road leading into the town.
Dozens of families have fled Beit Jinn, according to al-Ikhbariya TV.
An ambulance rushed the injured to hospital in Damascus, Rudaw's Viviyan Fetah reported from near the scene.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they called in aerial support after their forces came under fire during an operation to capture suspected jihadists operating out of Beit Jinn. Six Israeli soldiers were injured.
“All the suspects were arrested and several terrorists were eliminated,” the IDF stated, adding that their forces remain deployed in the area.
Three members of al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya were detained, the Times of Israel reported.
The Syrian Civil Defence said their teams are unable to enter the village to rescue the wounded as the Israeli military continues its operation.
The Israeli military carries out frequent activities inside Syrian territory. After the collapse of the former Syrian regime last December, Tel Aviv intensified efforts to destroy Damascus’s military stockpiles and its forces have repeatedly entered buffer zones east of the Israel-annexed Golan Heights. Israel has occupied at least ten positions within Syrian territory, according to the UN.
Since the beginning of 2025, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented over 40 Israeli attacks on Syrian territory. The Israeli military action has destroyed approximately 50 sites, including weapons and ammunition depots, headquarters, command centers, and vehicles, according to the war monitor.
In early November, Syria asked the United Nations Security Council to stop Israel from carrying out “attacks and incursions” into its territory.
At a Security Council meeting in August, all sides were urged to abide by the 1974 agreement that was adopted to create a buffer zone between the neighbouring states.
Updated at 11:44pm
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