Damascus: Israeli forces stormed the village of Beit Jin in southern Syria on Friday, triggering deadly clashes that left at least 10 people dead, according to Syrian media and local officials. The incident comes at a time when Israel is engaged on multiple fronts, even as a fragile ceasefire in Gaza continues to hold.
Syrian state news outlet SANA reported that Israeli troops entered Beit Jin to detain several local men. Resistance from residents led to heavy gunfire, forcing dozens of families to flee.
The Israeli military confirmed an operation in the area, saying it acted on intelligence indicating that members of Jamaa Islamiya—an Islamist group accused of planning attacks on Israeli civilians—were hiding in the village. According to the Israeli side, militants opened fire during the raid, injuring around six soldiers who were later airlifted to a hospital. The military said it responded with ground fire and aerial support, killed several militants and apprehended all targeted suspects.
Tensions have remained high in southern Syria ever since the fall of former President Bashar Assad during a rapid offensive by Islamist forces in December 2024. Following Assad’s ouster, Israel seized control of a previously UN-monitored buffer zone established under the 1974 disengagement agreement. Since then, Israel has carried out extensive airstrikes on Syrian military positions and pushed for a demilitarised belt south of Damascus.
While Syria condemned earlier incursions as violations of its sovereignty, officials did not immediately react to Friday’s raid. A local official, Walid Okasha, told the Associated Press that those killed were civilians, including a man who had married just a day earlier. “The situation is miserable,” he said.
Beit Jin has seen similar tension before. In June, Israeli forces detained several people they accused of belonging to Hamas — a claim residents disputed — and killed a man with a documented history of schizophrenia.
The violence in Syria follows fresh Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Israel maintains that its operations are intended to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping after last year’s war. The United Nations recently reported that at least 127 civilians, including children, have been killed in Israel’s strikes on Lebanon since the ceasefire.
Hostilities escalated further this week after Israel carried out a rare strike in Beirut, killing a senior Hezbollah commander described by Israel as the group’s chief of staff. Analysts warn that continued spillover could destabilise the already fragile truce in Gaza.
