Syria Condemns Israeli Strike Near Damascus That Wounded One
Syria says Israeli drone strike near Beit Jinn violates its sovereignty as Israel says it targeted a militant preparing an attack
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Syria on Saturday condemned an Israeli strike southwest of Damascus that wounded one person, marking the second reported Israeli attack on Syrian territory in a week amid growing tensions along the two countries’ border.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry described the strike as a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a breach of international law.
The ministry said the attack was part of a pattern of repeated Israeli strikes against Syrian territory, without providing further details about the target.
Syrian state television reported that an “Israeli occupation drone” targeted a vehicle in the village of Beit Jinn, southwest of Damascus near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
One person was wounded in the strike, and state media published an image showing a damaged truck. The Israeli military said its forces had fired in southern Syria at a militant who was preparing to carry out attacks.
The military said the individual’s activities posed an “immediate threat” to Israeli troops, but did not identify the person or specify whether he belonged to a particular armed group.
Israel Rebukes US Envoy Over Syria Strike
The latest strike came as Israel rebuked US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack for criticizing an earlier Israeli attack on a disused military air base in northwestern Syria, which Israel has accused Türkiye of seeking to use for a military presence.
Barrack on Tuesday described Israel’s attack on the air base as an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”
In an interview Friday with influencer Mario Nawfal, Barrack said the strike may have been intended to provoke a conflict with Türkiye, prompting Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz to reject the remarks on Saturday as “full of inaccuracies.”
Katz said Israel had provided “intelligence information to the authorised parties in the United States” before carrying out Tuesday’s strike.
He also accused Barrack of making statements that contradicted the position of US President Donald Trump on the Golan Heights, after the US envoy described the territory as “occupied.”
Israeli military presence expands in southern Syria
Israel has significantly increased its military activity inside Syria since the overthrow of longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of strikes across Syria and moved troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that had separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights for decades.
Israel has also conducted repeated incursions farther into Syrian territory and said it intends to maintain troops in a so-called security zone in southern Syria while seeking a broader demilitarized area along its border.
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said earlier this week that Israel was closely monitoring developments in Syria and would prevent hostile forces from establishing themselves near its borders.
“We are monitoring the changes on the Syrian front. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves on our borders,” Zamir told Israeli troops operating in southern Syria.
Beit Jinn has previously been the site of clashes between Israeli and Syrian forces. In November, Israeli forces killed 13 Syrians in an operation that Israel said targeted members of an Islamist armed group. Six Israeli soldiers were also wounded in the exchange of fire.
Dispute over Golan Heights
Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and later annexed the territory in a move rejected by most of the international community.
The annexation has been recognized by the United States and, most recently, Colombia, while Syria and other countries continue to regard the Golan as Syrian territory occupied by Israel.
The latest strike came amid wider tensions involving Israel, Syria and Türkiye over the evolving security landscape in post-Assad Syria.
Earlier this week, Syria and the United States said Israel had bombed a disused military air base in northwestern Syria.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to acknowledge the strike, saying Türkiye, a key ally of Syria’s new authorities, had been seeking to establish a military presence at the site. Ankara denied that it had visited the base.
The incident has further strained relations between Israel and Türkiye, with Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanging increasingly hostile statements.
Türkiye also announced this week that it was seeking an international arrest warrant for Netanyahu, accusing him of genocide in connection with Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Netanyahu’s office responded by describing Erdogan as an “anti-Semitic dictator,” while Erdogan’s office dismissed the remarks as “outrageous ravings” and accused the Israeli government of seeking to evade accountability.